Kaine Limits Harvest of Key Fish

Menhaden fishing boats line up at the Omega Protein Corp. processing plant in Reedville, Va. The oil from menhaden, a small, bony fish, is used to make dietary supplements. (By Steve Helber -- Associated Press)

There, workers "squeeze the oil out of the fish, and the remaining parts of the fish we grind up into a meal that is used for animal feed, fertilizer and several other industrial uses," said Toby Gascon, director of government affairs for the company.

Gascon said the company does not concede that the menhaden is threatened. He said recent surveys of the menhaden population along the East Coast suggest the species is healthy and is not being overfished.

"All of the existing science suggests there's not a problem," he said after Kaine's announcement.

But Gascon said the company agreed to support the governor's limits because of a provision that allows it to exceed the cap in one year by the amount that the previous year's catch was below the limits.

"This allows us to continue at the same levels we have been," Gascon said.

Bay advocates also praised the action, saying that the company's support of the plan will help scientists determine the extent of the threat to the menhaden and the bay ecosystem.

"I have to give credit to Gov. Kaine's staff and himself -- they really played hardball with Omega," said Todd Keller, director of Menhaden Matter, an alliance of environmental and recreational fishing organizations.

Virginia Secretary of Natural Resources L. Preston Bryant Jr. said the governor's limits provide an appropriate balance.

"Omega Protein has been part of the Northern Neck economy for more than a century. You can't discount that whatsoever," he said.

Staff writers Elizabeth Williamson and Matthew Mosk contributed to this report.