205 comments
Any person who has been on the Chesapeake Bay near the Purse Seine fishing boats is aware of the nasty, smelly filth left behind after they have completed their harvest. There is no doubt that any unbiased agency will see this discharge as a pollutant, This is a simple issue to resolve. Get samples of the discharge and test it to see if it complies with any of the existing guidelines for discharge into the Chesapeake Bay.
I support this measure. It is sickening to observe this being spewed into the bay like it’s coming out of a fire hose. It’s concentrated, frothy, and surely is a concentrated pollutant when introduced into the water of the bay like this.
I agree with this petition.
Omega Protein / Ocean Harvesters has been fined previously for violations of the Clean Water Act by the EPA which cost them $7.5 million in penalties and restitution. But have they learned a lesson?
Currently Omega/Ocean Harvesters is required to take all of the Bail Water and other contaminates from their ships 3 miles off the coast in the EEZ to dispose of them but in the day-to-day operations within Virginia waters the fish are caught in the purse seine nets and then moved into the fish holds of the ships within Virginia waters by utilizing a vacuum pumping system which moves this bail water and menhaden into the ship. As this process of using a purse seine net and vacuum pump to move these menhaden results in lots of fish particulate matter intermixed with the bail water it becomes contaminated. Much of this excess contaminated bail water is allowed to flow off each ship and into the surrounding water which bypasses the intent of having this bail water disposed of in the EEZ. This pumping process should be discontinued as these pollutants such as nitrogen are not to be disposed of within Va waters per the EPA and/or DEQ
After a school of menhaden are caught in a purse seine, the fish are compressed into a tight ball, squeezing liquid from them and expelling waste as the fish struggle and die. This process generates water pollution. The mass of dying fish is then suctioned into the ship via a powerful vacuum pump where the fish and polluted water are separated. The fish go into the hold for profit and the polluted water goes over the side. No other fishery in Virginia uses vacuum pumps on the water.
Everyone knows that fish emulsion is an excellent fertilizer, but the Chesapeake Bay already has too much nitrogen and phosphorus. This petition requests the DEQ to regulate this point source discharge under existing state and federal laws. Billions of dollars and 40 years of effort have already been focused on improving water quality in the Bay. Despite these efforts, attainment goals set for 2025 will likely not be met. This water quality petition is one other means of helping to protect our bay.
The Virginia Department of Environmental Quality needs to amend regulations to recognize the wastewater discharge from industrial menhaden fishing vessels as a pollutant. The real problem is the way large volumes of highly concentrated/toxic nutrients and low-oxygen water are expelled into a very localized, shallow area, such that marine life in the vicinity can be harmed or killed before any chance of the pollutant discharge dissipating. This form of pollution needs to be regulated like every other point-source of pollution in the state, to safeguard the Chesapeake Bay, its water quality, and its fish and wildlife, not to mention to also protect the various fisheries and recreational activities that generate enormous economic outputs.
Its time to stop this obvious violation of existing pollution laws
Please stop this pollution in the Chesapeake Bay. This is polluting and harming our Chesapeake Bay to the point it may never recover.
The vacuum pump water that discharges overboard fits the legal definition of process wastewater. It needs to be regulated.
The purse seine fishery in VA waters can take up to 51,000 metric tons of menhaden forage directly from the Chesapeake Bay food chain . Using a figure of ten tons of menhaden per set this is 5,000 times a season this large quantity of nitrogen rich material is discharged into a bay already struggling with dead zones from nitrogen contamination. This should not be allowed.
No company should be allowed to repeatedly pollute Chesapeake Bay. Please stop this practice
Omega is a repeat offender that routinely breaks Virginia law and damages a natural resource collectively owned by Virginia's citizens. They must be held accountable for their history of violations.
Please take into account the terrible bail water pumping process followed by Omega and have them legally follow the pumping guidelines. Just having the omega fleet in the bay in Virginia waters is bad enough, now come to find out they are in yet another state of violation? Please have them removed from the bay completely.
Need to stop pumping waste from bilge into the Chesapeake Bay and it’s tributaries. When they pull their nets they are leaving fish parts and foamy waste in the water! This needs to stop!
DEQ should test this water for bacteria contamination. When this water mixes
with fish guts, slime and excrement, it may produce bacteria that could be harmful to swimmers. It also may contribute to nitrogen production in the water.
I support the further evaluation and examination of the practice of discharging waste from commercial fishing boats into the Chesapeake Bay to evaluate the impacts on fellow boaters, fisherman, and the ecosystem. And to explore feasible alternatives.
I support Andy Cortez's petition to regulate fishing vessel pump water as a point source of pollution.
We need to get these studies done! The reduction fleets contributes $300m to Virginia's economy. Recreational fishing contributes $800m! We need this work done to protect the interest of a larger majority of Virginia's citizens and our natural resources. Not to mention the untold damage done to shallow bay seafloor from the deep heavy nets dragging them!
Hold omega accountable.
Agree with the Petition. Clean up the Chesapeake.
I support Petition 394 to reduce and or eliminate the unregulated wastewater discharge from industrial menhaden vessels into Virginia waters.
Despite the wastewater discharge from the industrial menhaden reduction industry's factory in Reedville being regulated and permitted, the daily discharge from the menhaden fishing vessels vacuum pump water, is not. This wastewater contains contaminants including nitrogen, phosphorous, and suspended solids like feces and fish scales that is dumped overboard daily.
Permitting regulations are needed now to limit and/or eliminate the wastewater discharge from menhaden fishing vessels in Virginia and stop this contamination from the industrial menhaden fishery from polluting Virginia waters.
This discharge is likely out of acceptable levels and harming our water that we rely on for fishing and crabbing. Please adapt new regulations to test the discharges.
My thoughts on the Omega menhaden purse seining in the Virginia water of the Chesapeake Bay, are THEY shold not even be allowed to operate in the bay. The magnitude of their operation, with spotter planes and latest electroinc technologies greatly diminishes the natural ecosystem of the bay. Menhaden are a life blood resourse of the bay, as they (bunker) support the health of the other predator species.
Case in point, I usually travel from Delaware to fish for cobia and this year I only went twice due to lack of fresh bait (bunker). The second day of the season I travel 3 hours, boat in tow, only to find out, "we don't have any bunker", "there are no bunker in the lower bay". That was the end of my cobia pursuit this year. I usually go 4-5 times.
I support this petition
The discharge from these boats has extremely high BOD, which is extremely harmful to the Chesapeake Bay and should be stopped.
I support this petition
Test the water.
I would like to see the water being tested.
I support the petition to test the bay water in regards to Omega discharge.
I support the further evaluation and examination of the practice of discharging waste from commercial fishing boats into the Chesapeake Bay.
I agree the this is hurting the Chesapeake Bay
I sport fish the lower bay out of Cape Charles and have been around menhaden boats (not this season as I have yet to see a school of bunkers in lower bay) and their discharge-it stinks and fouls the water so I have to move to new area. Please gain control of the situation!
There's no reason this industry should be exempt from rules that apply to other businesses and industries, and the Chesapeake Bay health is more important than Omega's profits.
I agree with this petition to reduce point source contamination directly into Virginia waters
Contaminated water should not be released into tHe bay by industrial fishing boats
Omega should not be allowed in the bay period. History shows their disregard for environmental regulations and the harm it's doing to the bay. .
Stop the menhaden fishery from dumping the highly toxic bilge waster water in the Chesapeake Bay.
All discharges should be accomplished outside the 3 mile limit just like our Armed Forces Ships do when entering port. Any discharge of the type is an environmental hazard to humans as well as wildlife and should be heavily fined.
I agree with this petition.
Once the fish, ospreys, herons, hermit crabs, dolphin, oysters, and all those creatures that rely on the Chesapeake Bay are gone. Then what do we do? Do you have an answer for when the bag is barren?
Agree with this petition.
The Discharge that comes out of the ships is filled with bacteria, slim and anything you can think of. It's on the same principle of waste water treatment plants.
This discharge is destroying the Chesapeake Bay, would you like it discharged at your house?
I support this petition and need to ensure we do everything necessary to protect the bay.
I agree with this petition. We need to take every measure possible to ensure the Chesapeake Bay is free of any pollutants.