Menhaden fishery industry wins again as bills fail

The debate this year over menhaden in the Chesapeake Bay is over. And once again, the industry that catches and processes millions of these important little fish has won.

Bills favored by environmentalists and sportsmen that would have shifted how menhaden are managed in Virginia waters were soundly defeated last week in both the state House and Senate.

One sponsor, state Sen. Ralph Northam, D-Norfolk, pulled his bill from consideration before debating the issue, knowing it was headed for defeat.

In the House, a subcommittee voted unanimously the next day to kill an identical bill from state Del. John Cosgrove, R-Chesapeake.

Both bills would have stripped the General Assembly of its long-held power to oversee menhaden and instead give that authority to the Virginia Marine Resources Commission, a state agency that regulates all other fish and shellfish species in coastal waters.

"I guess the time for this just isn't right yet," Cosgrove said afterward.

For Omega Protein, the only company left in Virginia that converts millions of pounds of menhaden each year into fish meal, pet food and o mega-3 health supplements, it was another slam-dunk victory, coming after decades of other victories in the state capital.

Ben Landry, a company spokesman, said Omega Protein will continue to operate under a federally imposed harvest cap and promised "a continued healthy, sustainable menhaden resource" in the Bay.

The cap, imposed in 2007 under a compromise brokered by former Gov. Timothy M. Kaine, is due to expire this year.

Omega Protein never has violated the limits and supports legislation now sailing through the House and Senate to extend that cap until 2014.

Critics say the cap is too lenient and want harvests reduced.

They argue the Bay contains too few menhaden and, as a result, water quality is suffering as well as the health of game fish that rely on menhaden in their diet.

Omega counters that existing science shows that menhaden stocks are not overfished and that its processing plant in Reedville is a major economic engine on the Northern Neck.

The company also says that the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission, a federal panel, is where menhaden regulations stem from and that arguing over which state body should oversee harvests is misdirected.

Still, the company spent thousands of dollars on lobbyists and in campaign contributions in Virginia last year.

According to data collected by the Virginia Public Access Project, Omega spent more than $65,000 to hire three lobbyists between May 2008 and May 2009.

Omega also gave more than $69,000 to candidates during that same time, with the largest amount, nearly $30,000, going to Gov. Bob McDonnell's campaign, according to election data.

Scott Harper, (757) 446-2340, scott.harper@pilotonline.com