According to the Chesapeake Bay Foundation, Menhaden are the most important fish in the Bay. This is because they are a food source for many commercial important species like striped bass. They also manage the algal bloom occurrences in the Bay because they eat phytoplankton. Decreases in Menhaden populations could also leave striped bass vulnerable to disease. In the past 20 years, the number of juvenile Menhaden produced in the Chesapeake Bay have been decreasing (Refer to Atlantic Menhaden Graph on Bay-Wide mean catch per haul).