Our operation headquarter is located in Houston, Texas. Home ports for our fleet of fishing vessels and processing plants are in Abbeville and Cameron, Louisiana, as well as in Moss Point, Mississippi and Reedville, Virginia. Our fishing fleet consists of over 50 main vessels called "steamers". Each vessel can store up to 500 tons of fish in refrigerated holds. They are equipped with two purse seine boats and are supported by 35 spotter aircrafts.

A proud heritage

Menhaden fishing is one of America's oldest industries. Legend has it that, as early as the 1620's, the Indians taught the Pilgrims the value of burying menhaden in each hill of corn for fertilizer.

Omega Protein can trace its roots back to John Haynie, who was the second person of European descent to settle among the Indians on Virginia's Northern Neck in the 1640's. In 1678 John A. Haynie and his younger brother Thomas set up a primitive fish processing operation on the Haynie family property in Reedville, Virginia - today the site of Omega Protein's refinery.

In 1903, the John A Haynie Company became Haynie, Snow & Company. The name was changed to Reedville Oil & Guano Company in 1913, and was changed again in 1968 to Haynie Products, Inc.

The commercial menhaden fishing industry as a whole can be traced back to the early 1800's when it was discovered that the fish were useful, not only as fertilizer, but also for their oil. In some areas, they were even eaten by the local populace. Some people still consume them today, but the bony, oily fish, which occurs in great abundance, generally is not considered a choice fish for eating.

Development of the company

Zapata Corporation entered the industry in 1967 with the purchase of two newly constructed processing plants and fishing fleets in Dulac and Cameron, Louisiana. Zapata had made its name as an operator of offshore drilling rigs in the Gulf of Mexico and elsewhere before entering the fishing business. The two facilities were operated by Zapata under the name Ocean Protein, Inc. and fished the western Gulf of Mexico from the Mississippi River to Texas.

In 1972, Zapata expanded its menhaden operations with the acquisition of Haynie Products, Inc. With the addition of the Haynie plants in Moss Point, Mississippi and Reedville, Virginia, the new Zapata Haynie Corporation became a major competitor in menhaden fishing from Florida to Texas and from North Carolina to New England.

The clear benefits of economies of scale and consolidated operations led Zapata Haynie to acquire the assets of Seacoast Products, Inc., including the plant in Abbeville, Louisiana, in 1984. In November, 1997, Zapata Haynie, then known as Zapata Protein, Inc., acquired the assets of Ampro Fisheries, Fairport, VA, and Gulf Protein, Inc., Morgan City, LA. Today Omega Protein, Inc. is the leading producer of fish meal in North America, and the industry's leader in processing and harvesting technologies.

Menhaden Fishing

Menhaden are identified by their unique characteristic of "flipping" as they feed in schools so large that they are detectable on the water's surface. Typically, two or three people conduct the search for fish. A spotter pilot locates the school of fish from the air, and guides the purse boats in setting the net. The vessel captain pilots the "steamer" from the wheelhouse. Sometimes, when conditions do not allow the spotter pilot to assist in the search, a mate in the crow's nest can spot schools near the "steamer".

Once a menhaden school is sighted, the "steamer", averaging about 180 feet long, maneuvers into position and launches two 40-foot purse boats. These boats, each carrying several fishermen and one end of a 1,500 foot net, speed toward the fish and encircle the school. The bottom of the net is closed, pursed, and is hooked to power blocks which slowly retrieve the net, forcing the menhaden into a relatively small area.

The main vessel then pulls alongside the purse boats, securing the net, and begins pumping the fish into the refrigerated holds of the ship. Once the holds are full, the vessel returns to the plant to unload the fish for processing into fishmeal, oil, and solubles.

Menhaden, ocean fish of the herring family, are usually six to ten inches long, and weigh an average of 8 ounces when full grown. They are caught primarily in the warm, shallow water of the Chesapeake Bay and along the US Atlantic and Gulf coasts.

The wildlife and fisheries agencies of each of the various Gulf and Atlantic states, as well as the National Marine Fisheries Service, part of the US Department of Commerce, monitor the menhaden resource. The industry cooperates to preserve and protect the resource by observing area restrictions and restricting fishing to weekdays during the six month long season.

Related processing

Menhaden processing technology has come a long way since the days when equipment was set up on a beach where the day's catch was boiled and pressed, the oil and solids separated, and the solids sun dried.

Today, Omega Protein uses some of the most modern fish processing techniques in the world. Our advanced methods of producing fishmeal, fish oil, and fish solubles are both cost and energy efficient, setting the standard for the industry.

Product applications

The largest market is the animal feed industry, which formulates fishmeal as a high quality protein used in virtually all animal feeds. Specialty meals; Special Select, Natural Nautic and SeaLac are processed for specific feeding applications. Special Select and Natural Nautic are targeted for monogastrics including baby pigs, turkey poults, mink, aquaculture, and companion animals. SeaLac ruminant grade, enhances performance of dairy cows, beef calves, sheep, and goats.

Fish solubles are similar to fish meal on a dry matter basis. However, fish solubles are approximately 90% water soluble. This makes fish solubles excellent for liquid feeds and fertilizers where a liquid product is required.

Fish oil is used in a variety of products covering the food, animal feed and industrial markets both domestically and internationally. We operate the only fully integrated marine oil refinery in the USA and produce many different refined grades of menhaden oil. The industrial grade oils are used in paints, varnish, printing inks, leather tanning products, fatty acids, lubricants, and other specialty chemicals. The animal feed grade oils are used in the feed of poultry, swine, ruminants, pets, and numerous aquaculture species. Much of our crude oil is exported where it is used in the production of fish feeds, margarine and shortening.

In 1989, the US Food and Drug Administration reaffirmed GRAS (Generally Recognized As Safe) status for partially and fully hydrogenated menhaden oils. In 1997, GRAS status was extended to refined menhaden oil. Currently, Omega Protein is working towards growth and expansion into the markets that can use these products for human consumption.

Moss Point Dry Dock & Fabrication, Inc.

Moss Point Dry Dock & Fabrication, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Omega Protein, operates a ship fabrication and dry dock facility in Moss Point, Mississippi. While developed primarily to service Omega Protein's shipyard needs, the facility is also available for contract work.