Northampton Administrator asks VMRC for more information about menhaden harvesting off shore

Northampton County Administrator Charlie Kolakowski reported to the Northampton Board of Supervisors Tuesday evening he would be reaching out to the Virginia Marine Resources Commission to learn more about the harvesting of menhaden in the bay following the ripping of two nets last week which left sections of beach on the bayside covered in the oily fish.

“I had some discussion with the VMRC about how they operate in the shallow water off our shores,” he said. “I plan to follow up with them and get more information on how this happened.”

Omega Protein, the last menhaden fishing company in the bay, denied responsibility for the first spill, but did claim responsibility for the tear on July 6. The company contracted a clean up crew to come and remove the dead fish from the beach, which is not legally required.

Supervisor Betsy Mapp reported Silver Beach residents and vacationers were very upset their weekend cookouts were ruined by the smell of the rotting feeder fish.

Omega Protein was founded in 1913 as a fishing operation. It still operates a fishing fleet, and produces food ingredients, dietary supplements and animal feed. Their products include fish oil, fish meal, and proteins. The Company operates seven manufacturing facilities located in the United States, Canada and Europe and, in 2020, moved their company’s headquarters from Houston, Texas to Reedville, Virginia, the base of their mid-Atlantic operations. The company is one of the largest employers on the northern neck peninsula, with 260 employees and a $20 million payroll.

Menhaden fishing is a perennial battle in the mid-Atlantic region. After years of political jockeying, the Virginia General Assembly gave the power to regulate the fishery over to the VMRC with a bill sponsored by Senator Lynwood Lewis and signed into law by Governor Ralph Northam.

The latest stock assessment of the fishery from 2020 stated menhaden are not overfished and overfishing is not occurring.

.