Omega Protein
Omega Protein was a United States marine-ingredients company that harvested menhaden and produced fish oils, fish meal, proteins, dietary supplements, food ingredients, and animal-feed inputs.
Last updated August 26, 2026
AI crawler reads
No AI crawler has read this profile since Oct 28, 2026.
Overview
Omega Protein Corporation was a United States seafood and ingredient company whose origins dated to 1913, when it began as a fishing operation. The company became especially associated with the commercial harvesting of Atlantic and Gulf menhaden, small oily fish used to make fish oil, fish meal, and other protein and nutritional ingredients. Its fleet and processing facilities operated in the Gulf of Mexico and along the Atlantic coast, including facilities associated with Reedville, Virginia, and Moss Point, Mississippi. Menhaden formed the operational and environmental center of Omega Protein's business. The species is used in marine food webs and is an important forage fish for birds and other predators, including ospreys. Omega Protein's scale made it one of the largest commercial harvesters of menhaden in United States waters. The company stated that its products supplied nutritional and functional ingredients for human food, dietary supplements, livestock and poultry feed, aquaculture, and other industrial applications. Its output included refined and unrefined fish oils, fish meal, fish proteins, and related marine-derived ingredients. During the 2000s, Omega Protein expanded beyond its traditional fishing base through acquisitions and investments in ingredients derived from milk and plants. Wisconsin Specialty Protein became one of its subsidiaries and produced specialty dairy and protein ingredients at a facility in Reedsburg, Wisconsin. This diversification was intended to reduce dependence on the seasonal and regulatory risks of a single fishery while positioning the company as a broader supplier of functional proteins and nutritional ingredients. The company's operations also generated sustained controversy. Conservation groups, regulators, and other stakeholders disputed the ecological effects of large-scale menhaden harvesting, particularly in the Chesapeake Bay and along the East Coast. In 2012, the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission adopted a commercial catch limit after concerns about declining Atlantic menhaden abundance. Omega Protein's environmental record also included workplace-safety citations and Clean Water Act enforcement related to discharges from fishing vessels. Omega Protein experienced several serious operational incidents. In 2011, its fishing vessel Sandy Point sank after colliding with the commercial cargo vessel Eurus London near Mississippi's Ship Island; three crew members died. In 2014, an explosion at the company's Moss Point fish-processing plant killed a contract worker and injured three others. Its Gulf operations were also disrupted by the 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill, which led to fishing closures and a claim for compensation for related losses and costs. The company was publicly traded until Cooke Inc. completed its acquisition on December 19, 2017, at $22.00 per share. After the transaction, Omega Protein ceased to operate as an independent public company and became part of Cooke's broader seafood business. The Omega Protein name remained associated with marine oils, proteins, fish meal, and related ingredient operations, but the standalone corporate entity described in historical market records was no longer separately listed.
History
Omega Protein traces its roots to a fishing operation established in 1913. Over time, the business developed around the capture and processing of menhaden, a small oily fish found in the Atlantic and Gulf waters of the United States. Menhaden were processed into fish oil and fish meal, commodities used in animal nutrition, aquaculture, food production, and dietary supplements. The company operated fishing vessels and processing plants, giving it substantial control over the supply chain from harvest through ingredient production. By the late twentieth and early twenty-first centuries, Omega Protein had become one of the most prominent commercial menhaden harvesters in the United States. Its operations included Gulf of Mexico activities and Atlantic operations centered on Virginia. The company's scale brought commercial advantages but also made it a focal point in arguments about the management of forage fish. Environmental organizations and some fisheries stakeholders contended that intensive menhaden harvesting could reduce food available to predatory fish, birds, and other wildlife. The Chesapeake Bay and Atlantic menhaden fisheries were particularly prominent in these debates. The company pursued diversification during the 2000s. Through acquisitions and related expansion, it added ingredients made from milk and plants to its marine portfolio. Wisconsin Specialty Protein became an important subsidiary, supplying specialty protein ingredients from a Reedsburg, Wisconsin, operation. This broadened the company's exposure to food and nutrition markets and reduced its reliance on the economics of menhaden fishing, although harvesting and processing remained central to its identity. Omega Protein also sought external recognition for aspects of its operations. Its Gulf and Atlantic fisheries received Friend of the Sea certification in 2008 and 2009, with subsequent recertification reported for the Gulf fishery in 2014. The Wisconsin Specialty Protein facility received industry and building-related recognition, including a Green Building category award in 2009 and an innovation award from the Dairy Business Innovation Center. The company faced significant legal, regulatory, safety, and environmental challenges. Between 2008 and 2010, federal authorities alleged that Omega Protein vessels discharged pollutants and harmful amounts of oil into United States waters. The company was later sentenced on two Clean Water Act counts and received three years of probation, with penalties totaling $7.5 million. It subsequently paid the penalties and undertook community service involving regional waterways. The company was also cited for multiple Occupational Safety and Health Administration violations. Operational risks were illustrated by the 2011 sinking of the F/V Sandy Point after its collision with Eurus London near Ship Island, Mississippi. Three Omega Protein crew members died. In 2014, an explosion at the Moss Point processing plant killed a contract worker and injured three others during work on fish-oil storage tanks. The 2010 Deepwater Horizon disaster separately restricted access to fishing grounds east of the Mississippi River Delta and affected the company's Gulf operations. Omega Protein sought reimbursement through the Gulf Coast Claims Facility for costs and lost profits associated with the spill. Regulatory pressure on menhaden harvesting increased in the early 2010s. In December 2012, the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission imposed an annual commercial catch limit of 170,800 metric tons, described as approximately 80 percent of the company's average harvest during the preceding three years. The restriction reflected concerns about Atlantic menhaden depletion and directly affected the company's principal raw-material supply. In 2017, an SEC subpoena concerning a subsidiary's compliance with probation terms and whistle-blower protections caused a sharp reported decline in Omega Protein's stock price. Later that year, Cooke Inc. completed the acquisition of Omega Protein on December 19 for $22.00 per share. The transaction removed Omega Protein from the public markets and placed its operations within Cooke's seafood group. Accordingly, Omega Protein is best understood historically as a public marine-ingredients company and, after 2017, as a Cooke-owned operating brand or subsidiary rather than an independent listed corporation.
- 2017
Acquired by Cooke Inc.
[1]Cooke Inc. completed its acquisition of Omega Protein on December 19, 2017, at $22.00 per share.
- 2014
Moss Point plant explosion
[1]An explosion during repairs to a fish-oil storage tank killed one contract worker and injured three others.
- 2013
Clean Water Act sentencing
[1]Omega Protein received a three-year probation sentence and $7.5 million in financial penalties for two vessel-discharge violations.
- 2012
Atlantic menhaden harvest cap imposed
[1]The Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission set an annual commercial catch limit of 170,800 metric tons amid concerns about declining menhaden populations.
- 2011
Sandy Point sinking
[1]The company fishing vessel Sandy Point sank after a collision near Ship Island, Mississippi; three crew members died.
- 2010
Deepwater Horizon spill disrupts Gulf operations
[1]Fishing-ground closures following the BP oil spill affected Omega Protein's Gulf operations and led the company to pursue compensation for related losses and costs.
- 2009
Wisconsin Specialty Protein facility recognized
[1]The Reedsburg, Wisconsin, facility associated with Wisconsin Specialty Protein received recognition in the Green Building category of an Associated Builders and Contractors of Wisconsin project program.
- 2008
Friend of the Sea certification
[1]Omega Protein's fisheries received Friend of the Sea certification as part of the company's sustainability and fisheries-promotion efforts.
- 1913
Fishing operation established
[1]The business that developed into Omega Protein began as a United States fishing operation.
Products and positioning
A vertically integrated marine-ingredients and specialty-protein supplier built around menhaden harvesting, fish-oil and fish-meal processing, and later diversification into dairy and plant proteins.
Marine nutritional ingredient
Menhaden fish oil
Produced from harvested menhaden, fish oil was one of Omega Protein's core products. It served as a source of marine lipids and was marketed for use in animal nutrition, aquaculture, food applications, and dietary supplements.
Animal-feed ingredient
Menhaden fish meal
Fish meal made from menhaden supplied concentrated protein for animal-feed and aquaculture applications. It was produced through the company's integrated fishing and processing operations.
Protein ingredient
Fish proteins
Omega Protein produced marine-derived protein ingredients for food, feed, nutrition, and related industrial uses. These products extended the company's business beyond bulk fish meal and oil.
Dairy ingredient
Specialty dairy proteins
Through Wisconsin Specialty Protein, Omega Protein expanded into specialty ingredients made from milk. The Reedsburg operation supported the company's strategy of supplying functional proteins to food and nutrition customers.
Plant protein ingredient
Plant-based protein ingredients
The company also expanded into plant-derived protein ingredients during its diversification into broader food and nutrition markets. Specific product names and launch dates are not identified in the supplied reference material.
Controversies
2017
SEC subpoena over compliance and whistle-blower protections
The SEC sought information concerning a subsidiary's compliance with probation conditions and protections for whistle-blowers. The disclosure was associated with a reported 20 percent fall in Omega Protein's stock.
2013
Clean Water Act violations
Omega Protein was prosecuted over two counts involving pollutant and oil discharges from fishing vessels into United States waters. The company received probation and financial penalties totaling $7.5 million.
Controversy over menhaden harvesting
For decades, conservation and fisheries stakeholders criticized the company's large-scale menhaden harvest, arguing that depletion could affect marine food webs and species such as osprey.
Marketing campaigns
- 2008Friend of the Sea certification and fisheries promotion
United States · International seafood and ingredient markets
Omega Protein obtained Friend of the Sea certification for its fisheries, presenting its Gulf and Atlantic operations within a sustainability-certification framework.
Outcome. The fisheries were reported as receiving subsequent recertifications, including a Gulf of Mexico recertification in 2014.
Brand decisions
2017
Sale to Cooke Inc.M&ABackground
Omega Protein was a publicly traded marine-ingredients company when Cooke Inc. agreed to acquire it.
Action taken
Cooke completed the acquisition on December 19, 2017, at $22.00 per share.
Aftermath
Omega Protein ceased to be an independent listed company and became part of Cooke's seafood business.
Acquisition price per share. 22.00 USD per share (December 19, 2017)
2000
Diversification into dairy and plant proteinsStrategyBackground
During the 2000s, Omega Protein sought to reduce its dependence on menhaden harvesting and broaden its exposure to food and nutrition markets.
Action taken
The company expanded through acquisitions and operations involving milk-derived and plant-derived protein ingredients, including Wisconsin Specialty Protein.
Aftermath
Omega Protein became a more diversified ingredient supplier while retaining marine oils, fish meal, and fish proteins as core offerings.
Recent events
Gulf menhaden fishery achieves MSC certification[2]
Reported:
The Gulf menhaden fishery was certified as sustainable against Marine Stewardship Council standards. Omega Protein and Daybrook Fisheries were identified as the fishery’s main participants.
Sources2 sources
Cite this profile: Cite the canonical profile. /brand-wiki/omega-protein · Editorial policy · How profiles are compiled