Tag Archives: Omega Protein Inc

Judge fully dismisses U.S. lawsuit against N.B.’s Cooke Inc.

A federal judge in New York has found the arguments made in a lawsuit against a large New Brunswick seafood company to be false and ordered the case closed. Saint John-based Cooke Inc. was sued last July for its involvement in the menhaden fishery in Virginia. The lawsuit alleged Cooke knowingly defrauded the U.S. government by creating shell companies to operate the fishery of a small baitfish used to make fishmeal, fish oil and other products. U.S. District Court Judge Jesse M. Furman dismissed the case because he found that not only did the plaintiffs not prove foreign ownership beyond a doubt, but also that the fish and fishing licences that Cooke was allegedly defrauding the government of cannot legally be considered property. “Cooke Inc. is pleased that the court has dismissed this baseless lawsuit, which we have always maintained was without merit,” Joel Richardson, company spokesperson, wrote in an emailed statement on behalf of Cooke Inc. and Omega Protein. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 11:50

Louisiana pogy industry faces backlash as reports show more massive fish spills

 

When a menhaden ‘mothership’ and its net boats spilled a million fish and left the floating mass to rot off the Louisiana coast, the menhaden industry attempted to ease public outrage and calls for tougher fishing rules with assurances that such incidents hardly ever happen. Nine million wasted fish might seem like a lot, but not when compared with the overall menhaden population, which is immense and shows no signs of decline, said Ben Landry, a spokesperson for Omega. “Sounds like Chicken Little to me,” he said. “This is a fish that numbers more than 100 billion in the Gulf. And there’s concern for 9 million fish? That’s a bit hyperbolic.” photos, more, >>click to read<< 11:48

Omega Protein charged with releasing pollutants

NORFOLK, Mar 26, 2013 (Menafn – The Virginian-Pilot – McClatchy-Tribune Information Services via COMTEX) –The U.S. government has charged Omega Protein Inc., the company that controls the big menhaden industry in Virginia, with discharging pollutants into state waters from its fishing fleet numerous times between 2008 and 2010. continue reading