The Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission (ASMFC) voted to indefinitely postpone a motion that would have found Virginia and its menhaden fishery out of compliance. Omega Protein, the largest participant in the state's menhaden fishery, supports this action. The Company has long held that menhaden management should be based on the best scientific information available, and that evidence supports the view that the fishery is being managed sustainably.

The issue of non-compliance stems from the fact that Virginia has not codified a reduced cap on Omega Protein's menhaden harvest in the Chesapeake Bay, which was slashed by 41 percent in 2017. The Bay Cap is not scientifically derived, but rather is a political compromise and a precautionary measure adopted by the Commission. The lack of scientific evidence supporting the cap has been well documented since it was first put into place in 2006.

"The Commission made the right decision today because the Bay Cap is not 'necessary for the conservation of the fishery,' as is required in a non-compliance finding," said Ben Landry, Director of Public Affairs for Omega Protein. "The Commission's decision to press pause on this motion signals their acknowledgement that the basis for the reduced Bay Cap was not going to meet federal standards."

The menhaden fishery is currently being managed sustainably. In its most recent stock assessment in 2017, the Commission found that menhaden is not overfished, nor is it experiencing overfishing. The stock is healthy enough that the Commission raised the coastwide quota each year from 2015 to 2017.