March 2, 2020 — All seven of Omega Protein’s big blue purse-seine boats will head out on the chase for menhaden as usual this spring, but legislation passed by both the House of Delegates and state Senate could mean some will be tied up in their Reedville dock in the late summer and fall.
The General Assembly agreed to give up its authority to set quotas for menhaden and turn the job over to the Virginia Marine Fisheries Commission after the federal government imposed a moratorium. The final vote came Thursday.
That freeze came after Omega exceeded the multi-state Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission’s cap on its Chesapeake Bay catch last year.
But federal officials postponed implementing the moratorium until June — that is, a little after the usual May start of the fishing season, when Omega’s fleet mostly operates in the ocean — in order to give the General Assembly time to overturn its quota and authorize the state commission to adopt the multi-state group’s cap.
“This year will be a trial run for us,” Omega spokesman Ben Landry said.