August 6, 2026 — A lawsuit against Cooke Inc., Omega Protein, and Ocean Harvesters has been defeated after the United States Court of Appeals upheld its dismissal in January 2025.
Cooke Inc. was facing a lawsuit brought by W. Benson Chiles and Chris Manthey on behalf of the U.S. government, which claimed the company was committing “figurehead fraud” by controlling a fleet of fishing vessels based in the U.S. The lawsuit named a number of companies associated with Cooke including Omega Protein; Alpha VesselCo Holdings, which is also known as Ocean Fleet Services; and Ocean Harvesters.