Saving Seafood

Omega Protein says it will cooperate on Chesapeake menhaden cap

December 20, 2019 — Omega Protein said it will cooperate with interstate menhaden managers, after the Department of Commerce set a June 17, 2020 deadline for Virginia to come into compliance with the Chesapeake Bay cap on its reduction fishery or face a moratorium.

Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross formally concurred with the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission finding of non-compliance, after the commission in October voted to insist the Reedville, Va.-based Omega Protein must adhere to the commission’s 51,000 metric tons bay cap.

Chris Oliver, the NOAA assistant administrator for fisheries, notified the commission Thursday of Ross’ decision.

“NOAA Fisheries also finds that this management measure is necessary for the conservation of the menhaden resource,” Oliver wrote in a letter to the commission. “The best available information shows that menhaden in the Chesapeake Bay are an important component of the overall health of the stock, and further that their role as forage for predator species in the Chesapeake Bay is critical to the marine environment.”

Omega officials, who faced off with critics for months before the commission vote, pledged Thursday to work toward solutions.

“Omega Protein will work with both the ASMFC and the Commonwealth of Virginia to lift the moratorium and bring the fishery back into compliance,” the company said in a prepared statement. “The company looks forward to working with the commission in the coming months as we move toward ecosystem-based measures, and will continue to support science-based fishery management and a healthy menhaden fishery.”

Read the full story at National Fisherman

Omega Protein says it will cooperate on Chesapeake menhaden cap

December 20, 2019 — Omega Protein said it will cooperate with interstate menhaden managers, after the Department of Commerce set a June 17, 2020 deadline for Virginia to come into compliance with the Chesapeake Bay cap on its reduction fishery or face a moratorium.

Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross formally concurred with the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission finding of non-compliance, after the commission in October voted to insist the Reedville, Va.-based Omega Protein must adhere to the commission’s 51,000 metric tons bay cap.

Chris Oliver, the NOAA assistant administrator for fisheries, notified the commission Thursday of Ross’ decision.

“NOAA Fisheries also finds that this management measure is necessary for the conservation of the menhaden resource,” Oliver wrote in a letter to the commission. “The best available information shows that menhaden in the Chesapeake Bay are an important component of the overall health of the stock, and further that their role as forage for predator species in the Chesapeake Bay is critical to the marine environment.”

Omega officials, who faced off with critics for months before the commission vote, pledged Thursday to work toward solutions.

“Omega Protein will work with both the ASMFC and the Commonwealth of Virginia to lift the moratorium and bring the fishery back into compliance,” the company said in a prepared statement. “The company looks forward to working with the commission in the coming months as we move toward ecosystem-based measures, and will continue to support science-based fishery management and a healthy menhaden fishery.”

Read the full story at National Fisherman

US commerce secretary Ross hands Virginia menhaden fishery its first moratorium

December 19, 2019 — Wilbur Ross, secretary of the US Department of Commerce, has agreed with Virginia governor Ralph Northam and placed the first-ever moratorium on the commonwealth’s menhaden fishery in the Chesapeake Bay — one of the two largest in the US — delivering a potentially nasty blow to Omega Protein.

But the moratorium doesn’t go into effect until June 17, 2020, giving the Houston, Texas-based division of Cooke Inc. plenty of time to work with the state to get into compliance.

The ruling follows Omega Protein’s admission in September of violating a federal cap set by the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission in the area. The ASFMC cut the bay cap by 41% in 2017, in what it described as a precautionary measure, but without a finding of overfishing.

In October, during its week-long meeting in New Castle, New Hampshire, the ASMFC voted unanimously (15-0) to advance its finding of noncompliance against the state of Virginia to Ross.

Read the full story at Undercurrent News

Read Omega Protein’s Statement Here

Read the letter from NOAA here

VIRGINIA: Gov. Ralph Northam calls for freeze on menhaden fishing after company broke Bay catch limit

November 21, 2019 — With a tough letter accusing a Canadian-owned firm of stealing Virginia fish, Gov. Ralph Northam asked for a federal freeze on catching menhaden.

Northam said the freeze was needed because Reedville-based Omega Protein had exceeded a cap set on the menhaden catch in Chesapeake Bay earlier this year. Omega is owned by Cook Aquaculture Inc., of New Brunswick.

The governor’s request to U.S. Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross came in the wake of a finding by the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission that Virginia had violated the cap because of Omega’s operation.

The commission cut the Bay cap by 41% in 2017, in what it described as a precautionary measure, but without a finding of overfishing.

“Despite direct appeals by Virginia’s Marine Resources Commissioner and myself that Omega abide by the 51,000 metric ton limit, the company has continued over-harvesting menhaden from the Chesapeake Bay even after exceeding the cap,” Northam wrote in his request to Ross.

Read the full story at The Daily Press

Gulf of Mexico menhaden fishery wins Marine Stewardship Council certification

October 17, 2019 — The menhaden fishery in the Gulf of Mexico has been granted Marine Stewardship Council certification, more than two years after Omega Protein and rival producer Daybrook Fisheries first applied for the review.

The fishery was recommended in June by independent auditor SAI Global, but several conservation groups filed objections and the harvesting companies had to work through an appeals process, Omega Protein, which is owned by Canada’s Cooke, explained.

“The Marine Stewardship Council is a global icon in seafood sustainability, and fisheries that are MSC certified are recognized as some of the best managed in the world,” Bret Scholtes, Omega Protein’s CEO, is quoted as saying in a statement. “Our fisheries have long operated according to sustainable practices, and this certification is just the latest recognition of it.”

Read the full story at Undercurrent News

VIRGINIA: A trip with the lone company chasing menhaden in a 140-year tradition on the Chesapeake Bay

September 16, 2019 — The second set went fast — the 150,000 menhaden in the net not as “heavy” — that is, as frisky swimmers — as the fish in the Cockrells Creek’s first haul, farther down along the York Spit Channel a half hour earlier.

As the boat’s giant vacuum hose gathered in the last flopping menhaden, the spotter plane pilot circling overhead said they should drop everything and move off to port where another 150,000 fish were schooling. So the men on the Cockrells Creek’s two 40-foot “purse boats” hastened away — still tied together with ropes and a giant 1,500-foot-long purse seine net, half on one boat, half on the other.

It didn’t go as fast the rest of the day in Virginia’s 140-year old menhaden fishery, these days shrunken to one company with eight vessels operating out of a tiny port in one of the most rural corners of the state.

It’s an industry that once made the village of Reedville one of the most prosperous in the state — big, brightly-painted three-story Victorian mansions, bedecked with gingerbread woodwork under their generous shade trees line Main Street in testimony to those long gone days.

These days, menhaden are at the center of an obscure, if fiercely fought, political battle over who should catch them where, and whether the Omega Proteins fleet that still sails from Reedville is harvesting too many from the Bay. Among the reasons for that concern: Menhaden are an important food source for striped bass.

Read the full story at the Daily Press

Omega Protein signals intention to exceed Chesapeake Bay menhaden cap

September 13, 2019 — Omega Protein, which recently attained MSC certification for the Atlantic menhaden fishery, has signaled it will likely exceed a cap for the species in the Chesapeake Bay.

The cap was initially suggested by the Atlantic States Marine Fishery Commission (ASMFC) in 2006, and was modified in 2012 to a 87,216 metric ton (MT) quota. However, in 2017, the ASMFC recommended cutting the cap by over 40 percent to 51,000 MT, a decision that Omega Protein objected to.

Read the full story at Seafood Source

Omega wins sustainability certification for menhaden fishery

September 6, 2019 — Omega Protein’s Atlantic menhaden fishery has been certified as sustainable under Marine Stewardship Council standards.

The certification this week comes after a final approval by an independent adjudicator and successfully ends a two-year effort by Omega Protein.

A news release by Omega Protein noted that independent auditor SAI Global recommended the menhaden fishery be certified in March following a review based on 28 standards that measure the sustainability of the stock, efforts to minimize environmental impacts and the effectiveness of its management.

Read the full story at Fredricksburg.com

Omega Protein Atlantic Menhaden Fishery Achieves MSC Sustainability Certification

September 4, 2019 — SEAFOOD NEWS — Omega Protein’s Atlantic menhaden fishery was granted certification against the Marine Stewardship Council standard for sustainable fishing.

After two years of a thorough review by, SAI Global, an independent auditor, and detailed stakeholder input, the certification was achieved.  Products that are displayed with the MSC blue label allow consumers to have a peace of mind when purchasing the product as it shows the fish was sourced sustainably.

˜When we started this process in the Spring of 2017, we were confident that our Atlantic menhaden fishery could meet the high bar for MSC certification,” said Bret Scholtes, CEO of Omega Protein. Now that our fishery is officially certified, consumers around the world will know the work our fishermen do every day to ensure our products come from a sustainable, responsibly harvested resource.”

NOAA highlighted the menhaden as one of the most effective fisheries in the world due to its minimal bycatch. The fishery is the second largest in the country, sitting behind only Alaska pollock. Recent stock assessments also show that the species is not being overfished as well.

During Omega Protein’s MSC sustainability criteria testing, they performed well as they had above-average scores in every category, with the best scores coming in the environmental impact and management categories.

“Congratulations to Omega Protein on achieving certification,” said Brian Perkins, Americas Director for the Marine Stewardship Council. “The certification signifies a dedication not only to sustainable menhaden fishing and to safeguarding marine ecosystems, but supporting the hardworking fishermen, processors, and everyone else who depend on the fishery for their livelihoods.”

This story was originally published on SeafoodNews.com, a subscription site. It is reprinted with permission.

Atlantic Menhaden achieves MSC certification

September 3, 2019 — The following was released by the Marine Stewardship Council:

Atlantic Menhaden caught by Omega Protein have been granted certification today against the Marine Stewardship Council standard for sustainable fishing. The certification comes following more than two years of detailed independent review by conformity assessment body, SAI Global, and extensive stakeholder input.

Atlantic menhaden (Brevoortia tyrannus) are small, oily fish that are caught commercially in a reduction fishery and a bait fishery. They appear in estuaries and coastal waters from northern Florida to Nova Scotia. While considered unfit for direct human consumption, menhaden caught via the modern purse seine reduction method are used in fishmeal and fish oil for human and animal nutrition, due to their high natural concentration of healthy omega-3 fatty acids. Menhaden are also valuable as bait for fishermen targeting other commercially valuable species, such as lobster.  The Gulf of Mexico menhaden fishery is currently in assessment with Omega Protein and Daybrook Fisheries jointly requesting the assessment.

“Congratulations to Omega Protein on achieving certification,” said Brian Perkins, Americas Director for the Marine Stewardship Council. “The certification signifies a dedication not only to sustainable menhaden fishing and to safeguarding marine ecosystems, but supporting the hardworking fishermen, processors, and everyone else who depend on the fishery for their livelihoods.”

According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Menhaden is “one of the most selective, and effective fisheries”[i] with minimal bycatch. Between the Atlantic and Gulf Coasts, the U.S. menhaden fishery is the second largest in the country by weight, trailing only Alaska pollock. Most recent stock assessments of Atlantic menhaden confirm that neither species is undergoing overfishing or being overfished[ii].

“Omega Protein is appreciative that the sustainable Atlantic menhaden fishery has now been certified against the most rigorous sustainability standards of the Marine Stewardship Council,” said Omega Protein President and CEO Bret Scholtes. He continued, “The menhaden fishery has continuously operated in Reedville, Virginia since the 1870s and the population of menhaden remains robust and abundant. When buyers purchase seafood products with the blue MSC label, they can be sure they come from a sustainable fishery that has met the MSC Fisheries standard. This certification will differentiate our fishmeal and oil products from competitors on the global market.”

Stakeholder input is a critical part of the MSC fisheries assessment process and includes an objections process which allows for detailed scrutiny and transparency in the application of the MSC Fisheries Standard. Assessment includes a formal objections procedure to provide an orderly, structured process by which concerns about certification decisions can be lodged, reviewed and resolved, fairly and transparently by an independent adjudicator. The Atlantic Menhaden fishery assessment included several objections from registered stakeholders and involved the oversight of an independent adjudicator to ultimately determine if the determination by SAI Global should be upheld.

The MSC standard was established in 1997 and is the only wild caught seafood standard and ecolabeling program to meet United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (UNFAO) guidelines as well as meet Global Sustainable Seafood Initiative (GSSI) benchmarking criteria. The standards used to evaluate fisheries have been developed in deliberation with scientists, industry, and conservation groups, and reflect the most up-to-date fisheries science and management practices.

The MSC fishery standards are based on three core principles that every fishery must meet:

  1. Sustainable fish stocks: Fishing activity must be at a level which ensures it can continue indefinitely.
  2. Minimizing environmental impact: Fishing operations must be managed to maintain the structure, productivity, function, and diversity of the ecosystem.
  3. Effective Management: The fishery must comply with relevant laws and have a management system that is responsive to changing circumstances.

The Atlantic menhaden fishery is certified through 2024 and can enter reassessment after the five year period. During the five year certification, the fishery must undergo annual surveillance audits in order to ensure their ongoing compliance with the MSC’s requirements.

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