ALEXANDRIA, Va. (AP) — The Chesapeake Bay Foundation says a decision by the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission to adopt a long-term menhaden management approach sets a solid course for the environmentally important species. 

However, Bay Foundation scientist and commission member Bill Goldsborough says a short-term target adopted for protecting menhaden stocks is the minimum that should be met and just a first step toward responsible management. 

The commission met Tuesday in Alexandria, Va., to discuss menhaden management. 

The tiny, oily fish are not harvested for human consumption, but are used in numerous products and environmentalists and recreational fishermen say they are overfished. The Atlantic menhaden fishery once stretched from Maine to Florida but now has been reduced to one commercial fleet in Virginia and the remnants of a small fishery in North Carolina. 

(Copyright 2011 by The Associated Press.  All Rights Reserved.)