Virginia menhaden fishermen test new spill response boats

LISTEN

Chesapeake Bay menhaden fishermen tested a new response team and recovery vessel to handle fish spills when nets tear during purse seining operations, according to Ocean Harvesters, fishing partners of Omega Protein.

Working in cooperation with the Virginia Marine Resources Commission (VMRC), Ocean Harvesters tested the vessel Hopeful Harvest and two smaller skimmer boats that can recover spilled fish from the surface before they can drift toward shorelines. The recovery vessel will begin operating in the bay during the upcoming fishing season, the company says.

Omega and Ocean Harvesters say net tears are rare but do happen occasionally during normal purse seine operations. During past incidents the companies have worked with state authorities to track fish spills and clean up dead fish that wash ashore.

Spill incidents have added to political pressure on the menhaden companies and VMRC from critics of the fishery.

“This new vessel will improve our ability to respond to spills by allowing our fishermen to collect fish spills at sea, minimizing further the likelihood that spilled fish will make it to shore,” according to Ocean Harvesters.

Operated in similar fashion to the menhaden steamers, the Hopeful Harvest will be deployed to the site of a fish spill. At the scene, it will launch its two small skimmer boats, which will recover floating fish from the surface and transfer them onto the Hopeful Harvest for disposal. The Ocean Harvesters will operate the boat in coordination with their regular fishing operations.

“We’ve always been proactive in addressing fish spills, but this represents a big step forward in our ability to deal with potential spills,” said Monty Deihl, CEO of Ocean Harvesters. “We always strive to be good stewards of the Bay, and this is just the latest step in our long-term efforts to collaborate with state officials and local communities to improve our operations.”

If so, send us your feedback around what we can do to improve this feature or further develop it. If not, check it out and let us know what you think via email or on social media.