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