WASHINGTON, DC / ACCESSWIRE / June 10, 2024 / In a story published Friday, Jason Smith of Undercurrent News reported that the US Maritime Administration (MARAD), the chief regulator for enforcing foreign ownership rules in US menhaden fisheries, cleared Omega Protein's menhaden supplier of any wrongdoing in a 2020 investigation.
A lawsuit filed in June 2021 by plaintiffs W. Benson Chiles and Chris Manthey in the US District Court for the Southern District of New York, and unsealed on April 23, 2024, alleges that Cooke Inc., its menhaden-processing subsidiary Omega Protein, and Alpha VesselCo. (operating as "Ocean Harvesters") were violating the American Fisheries Act (AFA). Ocean Harvesters harvests menhaden and supplies the fish to Omega Protein.
According to Undercurrent News, Thomas Johnson, a MARAD spokesperson, stated that Chiles and Manthey had filed a complaint with the agency on December 9, 2020. The complaint accused Alpha Vessel Co. of violating AFA provisions that prevent non-US citizens from exercising "impermissible control" over US fishing vessels.
MARAD reviewed Alpha Vessel Co.'s documentation in 2020 and "found it to be satisfactory and in compliance with fishery endorsement requirements." The company remains "in compliance," said Johnson, as reported by Undercurrent News.
Undercurrent News reports that Plaintiff Benson Chiles is a "strategic consultant for conservation organizations," and has "worked with advocacy groups such as Earthjustice and the Environmental Defense Fund."
In March, the US government declined to join Chiles' and Manthey's lawsuit as an intervenor.
The Atlantic and Gulf menhaden fisheries are certified sustainable by the Marine Stewardship Council.
About the Menhaden Fisheries Coalition
The Menhaden Fisheries Coalition (MFC) is a collective of menhaden fishermen, related businesses, and supporting industries. Comprised of businesses along the Atlantic and Gulf coasts, the Menhaden Fisheries Coalition conducts media and public outreach on behalf of the menhaden industry to ensure that members of the public, media, and government are informed of important issues, events, and facts about the fishery.
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SOURCE: Menhaden Fisheries Coalition
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