US menhaden fishing company denies claims of Canadian exploitation
'All menhaden fishing is conducted by US-owned fishing companies'
A US company that catches forage fish for a firm owned by Canadian salmon farmer Cooke has issued a robust response to a social media video that claims Cooke is exploiting an American resource.
The video, made by the Virginia Saltwater Sportsfishing Association (VSSA) has been shared by US President Donald Trump on his Truth Social platform, prompting the VSSA to ask Trump to issue an Executive Order moving the menhaden boats awat from Chesapeake Bay and Virginia waters.
The video places great emphasis on Cooke being a foreign company.
But Ocean Harvesters, which operates the boats, states that the video “repeats many false claims about the Atlantic and Gulf menhaden fisheries”.
Claims 'repeatedly debunked'
“Most notably, it recirculates claims about foreign ownership of the fisheries and the sustainability of menhaden that have been repeatedly debunked. The video also ignores the fact that Atlantic and Gulf menhaden fisheries are tightly regulated, responsibly managed and a source of good-paying jobs for hundreds of rural American fishermen and seafood workers,” Ocean Harvesters adds.
“At several points the video makes claims about ‘Canadian exploitation of US natural resources’ and fisheries ‘being pillaged by foreigners’ - claims that ignore how the fishery actually operates and wrong about the companies that fish for menhaden. As required by US law, all menhaden fishing is conducted by US-owned fishing companies, and vessels are crewed primarily by American fishermen. Ocean Harvesters is an American company headquartered in Reedville, Virginia, with additional operations in Abbeville, Louisiana and Moss Point, Mississippi.”
Generations of fishermen
The company adds that many of its crew were from generations of fishermen, and that they held the same jobs as their fathers and grandfathers.
“While the video claims to want to ‘put America first’, it actually advocates against American fishermen and their communities by falsely attacking a fishery that is critical to rural America.”
Ocean Harvesters confirms it has a contract with processor Omega Protein, which was owned by Cooke but operates exclusively in the US. “Omega Protein purchases the menhaden caught by Ocean Harvesters and processes it into fish meal and fish oil for use in aquaculture, health supplements, and healthy food for pets.”
The company says the video badly misrepresents the current state of the menhaden population, and pointed out that the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission (ASMFC), the interstate body that manages menhaden, has repeatedly found that the species is not overfished and that overfishing is not occurring.
'Deceiving and wrong'
“The video is also deceiving and flatly wrong about how the menhaden fishery affects the ecosystem, claiming that ‘striped bass are the ones that are most impacted by a reduction in menhaden’, and that there are ‘no croaker in the Bay, no trout in the Bay, crab populations are down’, because of the fishery,” stated Ocean Harvesters.
“There is no available scientific data that supports these conclusions. Striped bass, unlike menhaden, are currently considered to be overfished by the ASMFC, and are in the middle of a rebuilding plan. Overharvest by recreational fishermen is by far the single most important factor affecting the striped bass population. There is no evidence that a lack of access to prey is responsible for the current overfished status of striped bass.”
It added that croaker and trout had not been identified by the ASMFC as relying significantly on menhaden for food, and that crabs don’t eat menhaden at all.
“If we truly want to ‘put America first’, we should be supporting the hardworking Virginians, Louisianans, and Mississippians who comprise the Atlantic and Gulf menhaden fisheries, not attacking them. This American industry has thrived for over 145 years thanks to the efforts of fishermen, scientists, and fishery managers. With strong collaboration, it can continue to thrive for the next 145 years to come,” concluded the company.
