Verus Pet Food & local fishermen

[frequentflier]

I wasn't sure where to post this but I thought it was pretty cool. The owner of the MD based Verus Pet Food company is contracting with local Solomons Island fishermen and women to provide all the menhaden fish for their foods! www.veruspetfoods.com

 

[vraiblonde]

Good for them!

 

[frequentflier]

Good for them!

The man that owns the pet food company also owns a small distribution company we buy from every week. He asked about the locations of the dealers and made a trip to Solomons Island and the deal is in the works. I think it is good for the local economy and love that is will be happening right in our back yard!

 

[PrchJrkr]

The man that owns the pet food company also owns a small distribution company we buy from every week. He asked about the locations of the dealers and made a trip to Solomons Island and the deal is in the works. I think it is good for the local economy and love that is will be happening right in our back yard!

Yeah! Let's totally #### up the Chesapeake Bay's ecosystem so we can feed the cats that are too good to eat the bi-products of industries already in place, that have been supplying protein for eons.

I will personally get the word out that this company should be boycotted at ALL costs.

Thanks for the heads up!

 

[PrchJrkr]

Good for them!

Small minds are caused by small worlds. Just saying...

 

[BernieP]

Yeah! Let's totally #### up the Chesapeake Bay's ecosystem so we can feed the cats that are too good to eat the bi-products of industries already in place, that have been supplying protein for eons.

I will personally get the word out that this company should be boycotted at ALL costs.

Thanks for the heads up!

how is buying fish from local watermen going to screw with the ecosystem?

 

[PrchJrkr]

how is buying fish from local watermen going to screw with the ecosystem?

Local watermen catch menhaden removing it from the natural food chain to be fed to an invasive species, e.g. felines. This is not natural.

Although tightly controlled by the DNR and other Atlantic coastal authorities, we have seen these "allowable" limits change far too often when projections get skewed because of nature.

I suppose only time will tell if the industry actually impacts native species. :shrug:

 

[limblips]

Yeah! Let's totally #### up the Chesapeake Bay's ecosystem so we can feed the cats that are too good to eat the bi-products of industries already in place, that have been supplying protein for eons.

I will personally get the word out that this company should be boycotted at ALL costs.

Thanks for the heads up!

You are very uninformed. Do yourself a favor and read up on Omega Proteins based in Deltaville, VA. They have been taking millions of pounds of menhaden from the bay in Virginia for years. If you think VA's take does not screw up the MD portion of the bay you are not aware of the bay's ecosystem. I have long stated that the decline of the menhaden population has greatly contributed to the decline of other fisheries in the bay. I support a local company trying to use locals for their supply needs but Omega needs to have their quota severely reduced.

 

[PrchJrkr]

You are very uninformed. Do yourself a favor and read up on Omega Proteins based in Deltaville, VA. They have been taking millions of pounds of menhaden from the bay in Virginia for years. If you think VA's take does not screw up the MD portion of the bay you are not aware of the bay's ecosystem. I have long stated that the decline of the menhaden population has greatly contributed to the decline of other fisheries in the bay. I support a local company trying to use locals for their supply needs but Omega needs to have their quota severely reduced.

 

[limblips]

What do you not understand?

 

[PrchJrkr]

What do you not understand?

Slow down, son. You're preaching to the choir. Is my post not showing up as I typed (and see) it?

 

[limblips]

Slow down, son. You're preaching to the choir. Is my post not showing up as I typed (and see) it?

It appears our posts crossed like menhaden boats in the night............... Apology. It seems we are aboard the same ship on this issue. I remember 15-18 lbs bluefish in the bay. I haven't caught a bluefuish over 8 lbs in 10 years. I blame the menhaden fishery as the biggest contributor to the decline.

 

[PrchJrkr]

It appears our posts crossed like menhaden boats in the night............... Apology. It seems we are aboard the same ship on this issue. I remember 15-18 lbs bluefish in the bay. I haven't caught a bluefuish over 8 lbs in 10 years. I blame the menhaden fishery as the biggest contributor to the decline.

No offense. I remember stringers full of Blues caught up as far as Rock Point. Trolling was blast. Most fish in the 3-5 pound range, but a few 6-8 mixed in, maybe a 10 wasn't unheard of, either. What a fighter...

 

[Humbled]

It's great that local commercial fisherman will have more work with a new species to catch. Or is it? It's not likely to reduce fishing pressure on any other species, they're likely to just add more crews and equipment to get the job done, and keep their existing equipment going on what they have been doing. Omega Proteins has been decimating the menhadden/alwife population for years, which has severely affected other fish and crabs. Rockfish are eating more juvenile crabs because their main food source is almost gone. Virginia does not care... So what is the solution? ...Maryland declares war on Virginia, we ban cats, or?

 

[Hannibal]

I am all about a local business getting their part but the overall plan in place here is poor. I am an avid Bay/coastal fisherman and the numbers of game fish continue to decline largely due to the OVER-harvesting of their food sources. We've had years where stripers barely show up at all. As with any crunch in modern life, they need to look at alternatives. To the poster above, I am not sure what the solution is but if you told me my dog would have to give up REAL beef in his bowl each night due to an already declining cow population, that is what would happen. It's a matter of perspective for some. But to the steak fan, I'd bet they see no issue in scaling back Fido's menu if they had to.

 

[MikeT]

Good for them!

To the uninformed it may seem so.
As someone has already stated Omega has already sucked up a large portion of the Menhaden in the lower Bay so adding more pressure to them is a VERY bad idea. For cat food, really?
Not only are Menhaden a forage food for other species in the Bay but they are also filter feeders that improve the water quality of the Bay.
Menhaden should only be taken from the Ocean where there is a MUCH larger population and less impact on the environment.
These companies are only looking for profit and could care less if they ruin the Bay or they would pay a little extra to fish the Ocean and not rape the Bay. If I had cats I would pay a little more for food to keep the Bay rapers at Sea.

When the Rockfish stop coming up the Bay because there is nothing to eat and the water is filthy will people come from miles around to net Menhaden on an old beat up fishing boat since they can no longer cruise on a Charter boat targeting a fish that is fun to catch and good to eat? I don't think so.

How much money is made by how many different businesses and individuals because of the Rockfish and Blue Crab? Are you willing to ruin their business so a few can profit on cat food?

Hopefully MD is smarter than VA when it comes to this.

 

[dgates80]

Lots of menhaden in the bay. No shortage, not overfished, I have on good authority.

 

[MADPEBS1]

Lots of menhaden in the bay. No shortage, not overfished, I have on good authority.

ah, go back years to the early 80's when i first got here, forage fish have been depleted !!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[Monello]

Lots of menhaden in the bay. No shortage, not overfished, I have on good authority.

Menhaden have been overfished for years. The single biggest culprit is a company in Reedville, VA.

Omega Protein's fishing fleet takes about 90% of the menhaden harvested in US waters; the extent of its harvest has been a subject of controversy. In December 2012, in the face of the depletion of Atlantic menhaden, the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission imposed a limit on Omega's operations, "capping the total annual commercial catch at 170,800 metric tons, about 80 percent of the average harvest from the last three years."

 

[Restitution]

This, coupled with the allowing of shady side and Baltimore boats to dock at Solomons is what caused all but 1 or 2 of the private watermen on the local Chesapeake to quit. Pretty soon, the bay will be good for nothing but dirty water skiing.