Omega Protein Partners with Leading Cooperative Research Center

23 Feb 2017 --- Omega Protein has become the newest industry partner at the Science Center for Marine Fisheries (SCeMFiS), the partnership between the fishing industry, the Virginia Institute of Marine Science (VIMS) and the University of Southern Mississippi. In joining SCeMFiS, Omega Protein says it is partnering with an organization that shares its commitment to sustainable fishery management.

Some of the non-industry members include the National Marine Fisheries Service - Northeast Fisheries Science Center, SeaWatch International and the National Fisheries Institute.

“I want to extend our sincere appreciation to Omega Protein as they become a collaborating member of SCeMFiS,” said Jeff Kaelin, who sits on SCeMFiS's Industry Advisory Board (IAB) of Officers and is head of Government Relations for Lund's Fisheries.

“The future of our fishing communities depends upon sustainable fisheries, and we believe it is part of responsible fishing today to be making these investments in research.”

"We are pleased Omega Protein will be joining us in this important work." 

SCeMFiS is responsible for several projects that have led to major breakthroughs in fisheries science, such as a 2015 report on improving the accuracy of marine mammal stock assessments, as well as measuring the impact marine mammal regulations have on East Coast and Gulf fisheries. 

Ben Landry, Director of Public Affairs at Omega Protein, said: “Since SCeMFiS' inception, Omega Protein has had respect for the organization and has continued to be impressed by the quality of the research being conducted.”

"The objective of SCeMFiS is to develop research proposals to address scientific uncertainty in order to develop best management practices.”

“We felt that there was no better group with which to partner than SCeMFiS, and we are excited to join.”

SCeMFiS currently has 17 projects underway covering a broad spectrum of fisheries issues. Several of these projects are especially relevant to the work of Omega Protein. 

One project in particular is a winter survey of menhaden in the Mid-Atlantic, which aims to address data deficiencies and better inform the menhaden assessment. 

New SCeMFiS members are required to be affiliated with an academic institution, and Omega Protein has chosen to partner with the Virginia Institute of Marine Science. 

Roger Mann, a Professor of Marine Science at VIMS and the Virginia Site Director at SCeMFiS, has signed the agreement.

According to Dr. Mann, there are many ways industry members benefit from partnering with SCeMFiS. 

“Members gain access to an international group of experts who can focus on technical problems that are challenging your sector of the fishing industry,” he said.

He also noted that SCeMFiS follows the research standards of the National Science Foundation, the “gold standard” in US scientific research.

“This places the results of any IAB funded effort beyond reproach as these results are used to advance the goals of sustainable harvest.”