Delegate Betsy Carr, a Virginia legislator who had Ocean Harvesters in her sights, has been appointed to the Chesapeake Bay Commission, a key regional body shaping policy for the Bay.

The Chesapeake Bay Commission, created in 1980 through parallel laws in Virginia, Maryland, and Pennsylvania, serves as the legislative arm of the multi-state Chesapeake Bay Program. Its mission is to coordinate policy across state lines, advance environmental legislation, and advise Congress on funding and regulatory priorities tied to Bay restoration.

Over the decades, the commission has positioned itself as a central force behind laws and funding initiatives that it says have improved water quality, restored habitats, and protected fisheries throughout the Bay and its tributaries.

Carr, who represents Richmond, was appointed following a Virginia General Assembly session in which she introduced two bills aimed at Ocean Harvesters’ menhaden fishing operations.

House Bill 1049 proposed requiring the Virginia Marine Resources Commission to adopt a quotaperiod management system for the Bay’s menhaden harvest. The bill sought to distribute catch levels more evenly throughout the season by limiting monthly harvests to 15% of the annual quota—or one-third under a trimester system. It also would have required observers on at least 10% of fishing trips.

Her second measure, House Bill 1048, called for a moratorium on purse seine fishing for menhaden reduction in the Chesapeake Bay and its tributaries until state officials could certify—based on Bay specific research—that the practice does not harm other fisheries or predator species that rely on menhaden.

Both bills failed. The Chesapeake Bay Commission is composed of 21 members: 15 state legislators—five each from Virginia, Maryland, and Pennsylvania—along with three cabinet level natural resources officials and three citizen representatives. The structure is intended to balance political leadership with scientific, environmental, and public perspectives.

With her appointment, Carr will now help guide legislative coordination among the three Bay states, each of which faces distinct economic, cultural, and ecological conditions.

Other Virginia legislators serving on the commission include Northern Neck-based Senator Richard Stuart, Senator Jeremy McPike, and Delegates Rob Bloxom and Alex Askew.