Omega Protein pleads guilty to criminal violations for illegal dumping in Chesapeake Bay

In a victory for Chesapeake Bay restoration efforts, it was recently announced that Omega Protein was hit with a $5.5 million fine along with an agreement to donate $2 million to the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation to fund Bay restoration projects, as well as three years of probation, for illegally polluting the bay with large quantities of untreated fish waste.

In 2010, the EPA accused Omega Protein of violating the Clean Water Act due to its improper waste disposal practices. The company pleaded guilty to these charges and has since discontinued the practice, resulting in one of the single largest reductions of nutrient pollution in the bay ever. Read more.