Something Fishy’s Going on

Throughout the Chesapeake Bay and surrounding Atlantic waters, there lives a fish near the bottom of the food chain called the menhaden. It may not be as glamorous or beautiful as whales or dolphins, but this tiny creature supports an entire food chain and it is disappearing.

One company is to blame for the population’s decline: Omega Protein. Omega is a Houston-based company that makes fishmeal, and is responsible for catching 70 percent of menhaden in the entire country.  Omega's state-of-the-art factory ships locate and catch such large quantities of the tiny menhaden, that the impacts are being felt throughout the entire ecosystem.

We called for a halt to overfishing at Omega Protein’s fish processing facility.  Omega’s employees couldn’t miss our 20-foot banner with the message “Omega: Factory Fishing is Overkill.”

All of the states along the East Coast couldn’t agree more.  Over the years, all but North Carolina and Virginia have put a halt on industrial fishing of menhaden.  In fact, the Omega Protein factory on the Chesapeake Bay is the last remaining menhaden operation on the East Coast.

The menhaden is a tiny example of an enormous problem. It's time to stop letting corporate giants like Omega decide the future of our oceans. If we don't stop unsustainable fishing now, all of our ocean's creatures could suffer the same fate.

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Update!  Big News for a Small Fish

For the first time ever, the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission has decided to limit factory fishing for the menhaden in the Chesapeake Bay.

On August 17, the commission met to decide the fate of the menhaden.  Things began with a rocky start as Jack Travelstead – chairman of the commission - announced that there would be no public comments allowed despite allotted time on the agenda, but permitted Omega to speak at length with the commission.  He added that any discussion of a moratorium would be ruled “out of order.”  Silly us – we thought chairmen were suppose to be impartial.

Omega then proposed a voluntary cap on itself to the commission.  However, the 131,000 metric ton “limit” is actually 30 percent MORE than what Omega currently catches.  Fortunately, that proposal failed and the catch limit was set at 105,000 metric tons.

The commission’s decision was clearly influenced by the outpouring of public support.  Nearly 16,000 activists wrote the commission calling for an end to Omega’s destructive practices, and our two protests on the Chesapeake Bay highlighted the importance of this issue.

This cap is a step in the right direction, but the fight is far from over.  We’re not letting Omega off the hook that easily. 

Take Action!

Tell Omega you’re not buying into its rotten practices.