Omega Protein
Encyclopedia
Omega Protein Corporation is the world's largest producer of
omega-3 fish oil
and North America
's largest manufacturer of protein-rich specialty fishmeal and organic
fish solubles.
fishing is one of America's oldest commercial industries that dates back to the 1800s. In the early year of American history, menhaden fishing and processing was very common sight along the Atlantic coast line. In 1850, d.D. Wells & Son start the very first fish factory for catching and processing menhaden. In fact, by the 1950s there was 112 fishing vessels being used to catch menhaden.
In 1878 John and Thomas Haynie began a primitive fish processing operation on their family property in Reedville, Virginia
. The brothers would sell the processed menhaden fish oil which was used as a standard fuel source and manufacturing purposes. During the 1920s the oil shifted markets due to the emergence of kerosene and petroleum as the dominant fuel sources. By 1947 the company began using spotter pilots to identify schools of fish. Approximately 10 years later the company introduces hydraulic power blocks onto ship vessels. Today product is now advertised as a source of improved health for plants, animals and humans. The historical development of the menhaden fishing industry has been documented in John Frye's work The Men All Singing: The Story of Menhaden Fishing.
Fish Oil
Fish Soluble
a non-profit, non-government organization that aims at conserving marine habitat. The certification provided by the organization is conducted through an onsite monitoring project to approve sustainability in fisheries and aquaculture. In 2009 Omega Protein received the Friend of the Sea
Award for sustainability. The award is given to those whose target stocks cannot be considered overexploited, the company's fishing methods must not impact the seabed, and the company's fishing methods must not discard more than 8% in weight of their catch.
in 2007 found that Omega Protein's consumer fish oil brand, OmegaPure, contained excessive levels of PCBs
, DDT
and Dieldrin
, all of which are recognized as carcinogen
s by the Environmental Protection Agency. In 2010, a California environmentalist group filed a lawsuit against 8 popular fish oi
l brands, including Omega Protein, asserting that their fish oil contained excessive levels of PCBs. Omega Protein responded by asserting that their products were "in full compliance with all federal laws promulgated by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, standards of the European Commission and the labeling requirements of California's Proposition 65 ... [and met] the rigorous standards for quality promulgated by both the Center for Responsible Nutrition (CRN) and the Global Organization for EPA and DHA Omega-3's (GOED)."
Net Accidents
2011 Collision and Sinking
omega-3 fish oil
Fish oil
Fish oil is oil derived from the tissues of oily fish. Fish oils contain the omega-3 fatty acids eicosapentaenoic acid , and docosahexaenoic acid , precursors of certain eicosanoids that are known to reduce inflammation throughout the body, and are thought to have many health benefits.Fish do not...
and North America
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
's largest manufacturer of protein-rich specialty fishmeal and organic
Organic food
Organic foods are foods that are produced using methods that do not involve modern synthetic inputs such as synthetic pesticides and chemical fertilizers, do not contain genetically modified organisms, and are not processed using irradiation, industrial solvents, or chemical food additives.For the...
fish solubles.
History
MenhadenMenhaden
Menhaden, also known as mossbunker, bunker and pogy, are forage fish of the genera Brevoortia and Ethmidium, two genera of marine fish in the family Clupeidae.-Description:...
fishing is one of America's oldest commercial industries that dates back to the 1800s. In the early year of American history, menhaden fishing and processing was very common sight along the Atlantic coast line. In 1850, d.D. Wells & Son start the very first fish factory for catching and processing menhaden. In fact, by the 1950s there was 112 fishing vessels being used to catch menhaden.
In 1878 John and Thomas Haynie began a primitive fish processing operation on their family property in Reedville, Virginia
Reedville, Virginia
Reedville is an unincorporated town in Northumberland County in the Northern Neck region of the U.S. state of Virginia. It is located at the eastern terminus of U.S...
. The brothers would sell the processed menhaden fish oil which was used as a standard fuel source and manufacturing purposes. During the 1920s the oil shifted markets due to the emergence of kerosene and petroleum as the dominant fuel sources. By 1947 the company began using spotter pilots to identify schools of fish. Approximately 10 years later the company introduces hydraulic power blocks onto ship vessels. Today product is now advertised as a source of improved health for plants, animals and humans. The historical development of the menhaden fishing industry has been documented in John Frye's work The Men All Singing: The Story of Menhaden Fishing.
Expansion
- 1903- John A. Haynie Company becomes Haynie, Snow and Company
- 1913- Haynie, Snow and Company becomes Reedville Oil & Guano Company
- 1966- Expansion into the Gulf o fMexico with the opening of processing facilities in LA & MS
- 1968- Reedville Oil & Guano Company renames to Haynie Products, Inc.
- 1970- Haynie Products, Inc. becomes Zapata Haynie Corporation after merger with Zapata Oil
- 1994- Zapata Haynie Corporation renames to Zapata Protein
- 1997- Zapata Protein goes public
- 2002- Zapata Protein renames to Omega Protein
- 2010- Omega Protein acquires Cyvex Nutrition, Inc., a dietary supplement supplier
- 2011- Omega Protein acquires InCon Processing, L.L.C., a processor that uses molecular distillation technology
Operations
- Headquarters- Houston, TexasHouston, TexasHouston is the fourth-largest city in the United States, and the largest city in the state of Texas. According to the 2010 U.S. Census, the city had a population of 2.1 million people within an area of . Houston is the seat of Harris County and the economic center of , which is the ...
- Warehouses- Avondale, LA; Guntersville, AL; East Dubuque, IL; St. Louis, MO
- Processing- Cameron, LA; Abbeville, LA; Moss Point, MS; Reedville, VA
- Research- Omega Protein Health & Science Center in Reedville, VA and OmegaPure Technology and Innovation Center (OPTIC) in Houston, TX
Technique
- Spotter Planes- fly along the coast to identify schools of menhaden. Then the plane radios findings to the factory ship.
- Factory ShipFactory shipA factory ship, also known as a fish processing vessel, is a large ocean-going vessel with extensive on-board facilities for processing and freezing caught fish...
- voyages over to the school of fish spotted by the plane. Launches two smaller vessels to collect the catch. - Fishing vessels- the two smaller ships begin encircling the school of fish while dragging a purse seine.
- The factory Ship approaches the two vessels with the collected purse seine and begins taking on board all the fish within the net.
- The vessels return to the dock where the caught fish are unloaded for processing.
- A Vessel Monitoring SystemVessel monitoring systemVessel monitoring systems are used in commercial fishing to allow environmental and fisheries regulatory organizations to monitor, minimally, the position, time at a position, and course and speed of fishing vessels. They are a key part of monitoring control and surveillance programs at the...
(VMS) has been installed on 43 vessels in 4 different locations to monitor, survey and transmit data from vessels to shore.
- A Vessel Monitoring System
Atlantic
- The Atlantic menhadenAtlantic menhadenThe Atlantic menhaden is a silvery, highly compressed fish in the herring family, Clupeidae. A filter feeder, it lives on plankton caught in midwater. Adult fish can filter up to four gallons of water a minute; and they play an important role in clarifying ocean water...
are harvested along the coast of Virginia and parts of North Carolina. The menhaden reduction fishery is the largest fishery on the East Coast. The menhaden are managed by the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries CommissionAtlantic States Marine Fisheries CommissionThe Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission is a commission of U.S. states formed to coordinate and manage fishery resources — including marine fish, shellfish, and anadromous fish - along the Atlantic coast of the United States.The Commission was formed by the 15 Atlantic coast states in...
(ASMFC), which is an interstate agreement with the 15 Atlantic Coast states.
Gulf
- The Gulf menhadenGulf menhadenThe Gulf menhaden is a small marine filter feeding fish belonging to the family Clupeidae. The range of Gulf menhaden encompasses the entirety of the Gulf of Mexico nearshore waters, with the exception of the extreme eastern Yucatan and western Cuba...
are harvested along the coast of Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, and parts of Florida. The Gulf menhaden have a shorter life span than their Atlantic counterparts. The menhaden are managed by the Gulf States Marine Fisheries CommissionGulf States Marine Fisheries CommissionThe Gulf States Marine Fisheries Commission is an interstate compact among the five U.S. states that border the Gulf of Mexico: Alabama, Florida, Louisiana, Mississippi, and Texas...
(GSMFC), which is a compact between the five Gulf states.
Product
Fish Meal- Special Select
- Natural Nautic
- SeaLac
Fish Oil
- Virginia Prime
- OmegaEquis
- SeaCide
- OmegaPure
- Crude Oil
Fish Soluble
- OmegaGrow
- OmegaGrow Plus
- Neptune
Awards
In 2008 Omega Protein receives certification from Friend of the SeaFriend of the Sea
Friend of the Sea is a project for the certification and promotion of seafood from sustainable fisheries and sustainable aquaculture. It is the only certification scheme which, with the same logo, certifies both wild and farmed seafood. Friend of the Sea started as a project of the Earth Island...
a non-profit, non-government organization that aims at conserving marine habitat. The certification provided by the organization is conducted through an onsite monitoring project to approve sustainability in fisheries and aquaculture. In 2009 Omega Protein received the Friend of the Sea
Friend of the Sea
Friend of the Sea is a project for the certification and promotion of seafood from sustainable fisheries and sustainable aquaculture. It is the only certification scheme which, with the same logo, certifies both wild and farmed seafood. Friend of the Sea started as a project of the Earth Island...
Award for sustainability. The award is given to those whose target stocks cannot be considered overexploited, the company's fishing methods must not impact the seabed, and the company's fishing methods must not discard more than 8% in weight of their catch.
Product
An investigation by GreenpeaceGreenpeace
Greenpeace is a non-governmental environmental organization with offices in over forty countries and with an international coordinating body in Amsterdam, The Netherlands...
in 2007 found that Omega Protein's consumer fish oil brand, OmegaPure, contained excessive levels of PCBs
Polychlorinated biphenyl
Polychlorinated biphenyls are a class of organic compounds with 2 to 10 chlorine atoms attached to biphenyl, which is a molecule composed of two benzene rings. The chemical formula for PCBs is C12H10-xClx...
, DDT
DDT
DDT is one of the most well-known synthetic insecticides. It is a chemical with a long, unique, and controversial history....
and Dieldrin
Dieldrin
Dieldrin is a chlorinated hydrocarbon originally produced in 1948 by J. Hyman & Co, Denver, as an insecticide. Dieldrin is closely related to aldrin, which reacts further to form dieldrin. Aldrin is not toxic to insects; it is oxidized in the insect to form dieldrin which is the active compound...
, all of which are recognized as carcinogen
Carcinogen
A carcinogen is any substance, radionuclide, or radiation that is an agent directly involved in causing cancer. This may be due to the ability to damage the genome or to the disruption of cellular metabolic processes...
s by the Environmental Protection Agency. In 2010, a California environmentalist group filed a lawsuit against 8 popular fish oi
l brands, including Omega Protein, asserting that their fish oil contained excessive levels of PCBs. Omega Protein responded by asserting that their products were "in full compliance with all federal laws promulgated by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, standards of the European Commission and the labeling requirements of California's Proposition 65 ... [and met] the rigorous standards for quality promulgated by both the Center for Responsible Nutrition (CRN) and the Global Organization for EPA and DHA Omega-3's (GOED)."
Polluting
2009 Omega Protein was accused of dumping fish waste water into the Chesapeake Bay. The dumping is said to be a contribution to the already existing dead zone problem. As a response Omega Protein rules this claim as fales and explains that Omega pulls water from the bay to cool the fish. With the same water the ships pump the menhaden into the processing facility. The water is finally treated and pumped back to the ship in order to be released back into the bay.Issues
2008 Oil Spill- The BP oil spill affected Omega Protein's production of fish oil supplements. Omega Protein sued BPBPBP p.l.c. is a global oil and gas company headquartered in London, United Kingdom. It is the third-largest energy company and fourth-largest company in the world measured by revenues and one of the six oil and gas "supermajors"...
, claiming nearly 70% of their fish source came from the Gulf of MexicoGulf of MexicoThe Gulf of Mexico is a partially landlocked ocean basin largely surrounded by the North American continent and the island of Cuba. It is bounded on the northeast, north and northwest by the Gulf Coast of the United States, on the southwest and south by Mexico, and on the southeast by Cuba. In...
and the Atlantic OceanAtlantic OceanThe Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's oceanic divisions. With a total area of about , it covers approximately 20% of the Earth's surface and about 26% of its water surface area...
. They have filed for reimbursement from BP as a result.
Net Accidents
- On a variety of occasions, the purse-seine net will tear at the bottome due to various causes. When a tear does occur, large amounts of dead menhaden will sink to the floor only to be washed up onto the nearby beaches. When such an even happens, Omega Protein response by sending out a boat to collect the fish from the ocean. The company will also send out a team to clear the beaches of any dead fish that day as well as the following day.
2011 Collision and Sinking
- On May 18, 2011 the F/V Sandy Point collided with a cargo vessel, Eurus London, which led to the Sandy Point taking on water and eventually sinking. Aboard the ship were 16 crew members, 3 of which died as a result of the accident.