Omega Protein Inc. was assessed USD 7.5 million in penalties Tuesday for discharging fish waste and pollutants into Chesapeake Bay waters where it operates a fleet of ships that haul in an oily fish called menhaden.
The Houston company, which operates its menhaden fleet out of Reedville, also was sentenced in U.S. District Court to three years’ probation for two violations of the Clean Water Act, the U.S. attorney’s office said in a statement.
The violations stem from Omega’s actions between May 2008 and September 2010, when fish waste generated by its Reedville processing plant was discharged with pollutants in the bay.
