Migration Season 2024 - June through October

In 2012, the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission set the first coastwide catch limit for Atlantic Menhaden — a keystone species whose population had declined by nearly 90% from overfishing. Often called the most important fish in the sea, menhaden filter plankton from the water and sustain countless predators, from whales to striped bass. Within a few years, their numbers rebounded, water quality improved, and marine life returned to coastal waters in unprecedented abundance.

But in recent years, that resurgence has started to fade. After documenting these waters for over five years, I’ve begun to notice a decline in menhaden numbers off the shores of Long Island, New York. The spawling schools that once defined the shoreline are now sparse, and the marine life that followed them — humpbacks, dolphins, bluefish, and other predators — has become far less frequent. What was once a symbol of successful conservation now feels fragile again, a reminder of how quickly balance in the ocean can shift.

All

Smooth water surface with a fish disrupting it, creating ripples and a trail.
Shark swimming underwater in clear, green-tinted water with artistic reflections.
A large fish swimming through a dense school of small fish in clear green water, viewed from above.
Aerial view of a large school of fish swimming in a circular formation in turquoise water.
A humpback whale swimming in the ocean with part of its head and back visible above the water.
A drone view of hundreds of fish swimming in the water with a cluster of netted kites or sail-like objects in the center.
Black and white image of a shark swimming in water
Black and white image of a seascape with heavy clouds over the ocean.
Overhead view of a large fish swimming underwater, surrounded by small particles or fish.
Aerial view of a large school of sharks swimming in greenish-blue ocean water.
Overhead view of a shark swimming in the ocean, monochrome.
Aerial view of a large school of fish swirling in a circular formation with a shark inside in green water.
School of fish swimming underwater
A fish swimming in clear greenish water.
School of fish swimming underwater, with sunlight filtering through water creating a shimmering effect.
Underwater view of a school of fish with several rays swimming nearby in clear green water.
Large school of fish swimming in the ocean, viewed from above, with greenish-blue water.
Aerial view of a large group of sharks swimming in clear turquoise water.
Four sunfish swimming in clear green water.
School of fish swimming in clear green water.
Basking shark swimming in clear green ocean water
Abstract underwater scene with a school of fish in swirling patterns, featuring shades of teal and white.
Close-up of a gray animal's skin in the foreground, with a small black and white whale swimming in green water in the background.
School of fish swimming in clear blue water