Omega Protein is a Friend of the Sea
 Omega Protein is certified
as a Friend of the Sea
Omega Protein and the menhaden fishing industry have been certified as a “Friend of the Sea.” This certification recognizes the company’s record of supporting marine conservation, environmental protection and sustainable fishing practices.
Friend of the Sea is a nonprofit, independent organization dedicated to conserving marine habitat and resources. It is the main seafood certification system in the world.
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Friend of the Sea, known for its thorough certification procedure, uses the following guidelines to certify applicants for sustainability:
- Target stocks cannot be considered overexploited.
- The applicant’s fishing methods cannot impact the seabed.
- The fishing method cannot discard more than 8 percent in weight of the total catch.
To maintain Omega Protein's certification as a Friend of the Sea, we take the following voluntary measures:
- We only fish from April through October to protect the menhaden’s natural spawning cycle. We only fish in approved, designated U.S. coastal waters.
- The by-catch—or the catch of non-target species—is generally less than one percent by volume.
- We use a mesh net that allows smaller and immature fish to escape.
- The entire fish is rendered, thus no byproduct or offal is created.
- We voluntarily never fish on weekends or holidays to minimize any interference with sport fishermen.
- Illegal, unregulated and unreported (IUU) fish are banned from our processes.
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Omega Protein was pleased to accept the 2009 Friend of the Sea Award as a result of its dedicated efforts towards sustainability and environmental stewardship at Friend of the Sea Day in Brussels, Belgium. Omega Protein was chosen as the leading sustainable organization in the fish meal and oil category from among a group of organizations meeting the rigorous standards of the certification process.
(full press release)