April 8, 2021 — The following was released by Omega Protein:

For over 100 years, Omega Protein has been more than just an employer; it’s been an integral part of our fishing communities on Virginia’s Northern Neck and in the Gulf of Mexico. The Company’s menhaden fisheries have provided dependable, well-paying jobs that have allowed generations of workers to build better lives for themselves and their families.

Some of those employees and members of the Reedville, Virginia community have come together to tell their story in our latest video, Omega Protein: Cornerstone of our Communities.

“My ancestors from my great-great grandfather to my grandfather, my father all worked here at Omega, so Omega has been part of our family for all five generations,” said P.J. Haynie III, a nationally recognized farmer and businessman in the Northern Neck. “50 years ago, a lot of young African American weren’t allowed to go off to college, weren’t allowed to get into the military, so they relied on a local source of work.”

P.J.’s father, businessman Philip Haynie II, also shares how working in the menhaden fishery helped him pay his way through college, and provide his family with new opportunities.

“While I was in college, they afforded me the opportunity to be employed in the summers,” said Mr. Haynie.  “Omega allowed me to pay my tuition and take care of myself, which took a lot of the burden and responsibility off of my parents, because if they hadn’t had done that then they would have had to made the decision, which one of their three children would have to drop out.”

Omega Protein is the single largest private employer in Northumberland County, Virginia. But it’s not just our employees who consider the fishery to be important. The Company has an established history of purchasing from local vendors and using local contractors whenever available, making sure to put as much money back into the community as possible.

“They do try to stay local. This factory has been essential, really for the whole community,” said Benjamin Paul Jones Jr., owner of Waller Oil Co. “My company would struggle without it. These guys that work here own homes around here, so I sell them heating oil. I sell gasoline up at my plant, so they buy gasoline to come back and forth to work. So if something happened to Omega, it would be a hardship.”

As part of our commitment to our communities, Omega Protein also regularly gives back, supporting the local civic organizations that make places like Reedville, Virginia, Moss Point, Mississippi, and Abbeville, Louisiana so vibrant. In the video, community members share how that commitment impacts them.

“There’s lots and lots of people who really depend on the fact that Omega will buy uniforms for a team, or for us they pay for the lion’s share of the fireworks on the Fourth of July,” said Lee Langston-Harrison, Director of the Reedville Fishermen’s Museum.  “I’m just one of many, many people. And it’s schools, and it’s community services, it’s the fire department, it’s the EMTs.”

About Omega Protein
Omega Protein Corporation is a century old nutritional product company that develops, produces and delivers healthy products throughout the world to improve the nutritional integrity of foods, dietary supplements and animal feeds. Omega Protein’s mission is to help people lead healthier lives with better nutrition through sustainably sourced ingredients such as highly refined specialty oils, specialty proteins products and nutraceuticals. Omega Protein is a division of Cooke Inc., a family owned fishery company based in New Brunswick, Canada.

The Company operates seven manufacturing facilities located in the United States, Canada and Europe. The Company also has a long-term supply contract with Ocean Harvesters, which owns 30 vessels which harvest menhaden, a fish abundantly found off the coasts of the Atlantic Ocean and Gulf of Mexico. The Company’s website is www.omegaprotein.com.

All fishing vessels formerly owned by Omega Protein are owned and operated by Ocean Harvesters, an independent company.