Chesapeake Legal Alliance

by

Environment

Championing the Chesapeake Bay through the power of the law

Tracing its origins to 2009, Chesapeake Legal Alliance (CLA) provides innovative legal strategies to address critical environmental issues in the Chesapeake Bay—leveraging its expertise as a catalyst to protect and restore the watershed. Although numerous organizations focus on improving the health of the Bay, few have the legal resources to hold local, state, and federal agencies accountable. CLA differentiates itself as the only regional organization dedicated exclusively to providing pro bono legal services to protect the Chesapeake Bay watershed.

The idea of creating a nonprofit organization that focuses on legal representation was inspired by attorneys Russ Stevenson and Ridgway Hall. They envisioned a network of volunteer attorneys who could provide services to clients at no cost. As a result of their innovation, CLA was officially born, adding a new dynamic to Chesapeake Bay protection and restoration.

Since its inception, CLA has been dedicated to its mission “to apply the power of the law to protect and restore clean water and promote healthy, resilient ecosystems for communities across the Chesapeake Bay watershed.” Based in Annapolis, its clients include individuals, community groups, and environmental advocates. CLA also partners with government regulators at every level.

According to CLA, its network of staff and volunteer attorneys has the capacity to manage nearly 100 legal matters and cases annually. The organization focuses on enforcing environmental laws and addresses critical issues, such as agricultural pollution, municipal and industrial wastewater, land use and habitat protection, fisheries, Bay cleanup and government transparency, and nonprofit assistance.

“We provide free legal services, education, and empowerment to clients who want to protect the Chesapeake Bay watershed,” says David Reed, executive director, CLA, who is a biologist and an attorney. “Litigation is the last resort, and our clients feel strongly about this. But sometimes an issue is severe enough to require legal action.”

Serving the Community

Staff attorneys, in collaboration with a network of volunteer attorneys, provide services through CLA’s three centers: the Environmental Action Center, the Legal Education Center, and the Community Outreach Center.

In addition, CLA launched a new program, Environmental Mediation Services, this spring. Reed says the first-of-its-kind program, which is designed to help resolve environmental disputes quickly and efficiently, brings together all parties involved with a neutral mediator who can facilitate communication, clarify issues, and identify solutions.

“We are really excited about providing mediation services,” Reed says. “It’s a valuable tool for solving disagreements, and it can help clients avoid legal action. In some cases, it offers the best way to move forward.”

Advocacy in Action: The Menhaden Issue

The availability of menhaden in the Chesapeake Bay is a source of long-standing contention among the baywide community. Scientists, researchers, commercial fisheries, watermen, conservationists, environmentalists, and recreational anglers have continued to sound the alarm, with some groups claiming localized depletion of the keystone species.

In spring 2023, CLA filed a lawsuit on behalf of the Southern Maryland Recreational Fishing Organization (SMRFO) against the Virginia Marine Resources Commission (VMRC). According to CLA, the purpose of the lawsuit is to compel the Commission to protect the Atlantic menhaden fishery—a vital food source for predators, such as striped bass and osprey. Phil Zalesak, president, SMRFO, chose CLA to represent the organization.

In short, the case contends that the VMRC is allowing one company, Omega Protein Corporation, a Canadian subsidiary, to harvest massive amounts of menhaden (approximately 300 million pounds annually) for the industrial reduction fishery in Virginia, which grinds and processes the fish for use in pet food and nutritional supplements for salmon farms. The company is the only facility of its kind on the Atlantic Coast. All other states in the region have banned reduction fishing.

The lawsuit argues that the VMRC neglected its duty to follow Virginia fisheries law, which requires it to use the best available scientific, biological, and economic data to establish responsible menhaden harvests.

“Menhaden is a tough issue,” Reed says. “I try to be thoughtful about any regulatory action, and my client and I don’t take the decision to pursue legal action lightly. But when you have a total failure to regulate an industry, you have a public outcry. People are starting to realize the impact of this issue—not only on the menhaden population but on the overall health of the Bay ecosystem.”

Due to delays at the circuit court in Richmond, VA, the case didn’t get a timely review. However, Zalesak asked Reed to file another lawsuit in spring 2026, and he is hoping for a positive outcome.

“The VMRC is breaking the law, and it has to stop,” Zalesak says. “I would like to see a complete moratorium of industrial reduction harvesting of Atlantic menhaden in Virginia waters to the benefit of the U.S. commercial and recreational fishing industry.”

Vision for the Future

As CLA looks toward the future, it plans to continue to spend its resources to protect the Chesapeake Bay watershed and its aquatic ecosystem. The organization would also like to expand its services in the Bay states.

“Our goal is to take action using multistate strategies, so we can look across jurisdictions and agencies and really make an impact on the region,” Reed explains. “We’d also like to focus on protecting wetlands and public lands and converting resources into conservation projects. If we’re not focused on protecting the Bay ecosystem, we’re doing it wrong.”

To learn more about Chesapeake Legal Alliance, visit chesapeakelegal.org.