Omega Protein Corrects the Record on Menhaden Fishing in the Chesapeake Bay

REEDVILLE, VA / ACCESSWIRE / September 19, 2023 / Omega Protein and its fishing partners, Ocean Harvesters, take seriously their commitment to responsible fishing and environmental stewardship. That is why it is important to correct inaccuracies in reporting about the Company’s fishing record, like in a recently published op-ed in the Capital Gazette.

The op-ed (“Ospreys as symbols of hope and warning of new threats,” 9/08), written by Gerald Winegrad, is the latest in a string of articles that alleges that the menhaden fishery is threatening osprey populations in the Chesapeake Bay, specifically that “overharvesting” is leading to a “collapse” of osprey. But all scientific evidence points to the opposite conclusion: Atlantic menhaden is sustainably harvested and effectively managed.

Atlantic menhaden are not overfished, and have not been overfished for decades. This is a fact that has been established by a long string of Atlantic States…