The following was released by Ocean Harvesters and Omega Protein:
REEDVILLE, VA / ACCESSWIRE / October 24, 2024 / Ocean Harvesters, owner and operator of nine menhaden purse seine vessels, and Omega Protein, which develops healthy products from menhaden, have called for a 15-mile buffer from offshore wind development on the Central Atlantic Outer Continental Shelf. Responding to the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) recently proposed Central Atlantic 2 Call Area (Docket No. BOEM-2024-0040), the two Reedville, Virginia-based companies wrote that their operations are incompatible with wind turbine arrays, and that critical adjustments are needed to protect the menhaden fishing industry.
Ocean Harvesters vessels harvest Atlantic menhaden in the Chesapeake Bay and in Atlantic Ocean waters from the mouth of the Bay to northern New Jersey, providing these catches exclusively to Omega Protein. This fishery, active in the communities of Virginia's Northern Neck for over 140 years, supports the production of essential products for aquaculture, agriculture, and human nutrition.
On average, nearly 70 percent of Ocean Harvesters' catch occurs in federal waters, with approximately 93,000 metric tons of menhaden harvested annually in the Exclusive Economic Zone between the Virginia-North Carolina border and Long Island. These operations rely on aerial spotter planes and a complex netting process to harvest menhaden, a method that is incompatible with wind turbine arrays. The range of the nets, the need for spotter planes to fly at low altitudes, and the drift of vessels during harvesting make it essential that a buffer zone be established around wind energy sites.
The companies recommend that BOEM move the boundary of Central Atlantic 2 Call Area seaward from the current six miles to 15 miles to prevent conflicts. Such a change would not only reduce conflicts with the menhaden fishery, but with many other small and large-scale commercial fisheries as well.
Maintaining an appropriate buffer zone is particularly crucial off the coast of Virginia because waters around the Chesapeake Bay are where conflicts with the menhaden fishery would be most acute. Additionally, the confluence of shipping lanes, military operations, and recreational traffic makes this a congested area in the ocean, of importance to numerous existing ocean users.
Ocean Harvesters and Omega Protein remain committed to working collaboratively with BOEM to find a solution that balances offshore renewable energy development with the preservation of vital commercial fisheries.
About Omega Protein and Ocean Harvesters
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. All fishing vessels formerly owned by Omega Protein are owned and operated by Ocean Harvesters, an independent company. The Company's website is www.omegaprotein.com.
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SOURCE: Omega Protein
View the original press release on accesswire.com
