Warships on the Estuary
Red sky morning
On the Chesapeake
We’ve come to spawn
In our brackish creek
Same course, same place
Same time every year
Neptune, help us make it, man
Cause they know that we’re here
Warships on the Estuary
Flanking forage fish
They ain’t taking prisoners
Who the hell does this?
Spotter planes find us, then
Circle in the sky
They give up our position
And the watermen let fly
Three boats break the blockade
The blue hull leads the fray
They steal damn near all of us
And leave nothing for the bay
Warships on the Estuary
Flanking forage fish
They ain’t taking prisoners
Who the hell does this?
[Instrumental Break]
​
Warships on the Estuary
Flanking forage fish
They ain’t taking prisoners
Who the hell does this?
There must be billions
Of us to offload
Onto the docks on
Menhaden Road
​
© 2025 Mark Holmes. All rights reserved.
Lyric Annotations
“Warships on the Estuary” is a call to arms. The song describes the ongoing campaign to ambush, capture, and execute “the most important fish in the sea.” It asks the question, “Who the hell does this?” The answer: Omega Protein, a company owned by Cooke Inc., a Canadian-based company with a fish processing plant at the mouth of the Chesapeake Bay in Reedville, Virginia. They target all the Menhaden coming in and out of the bay from that stronghold. Several boats they use were purchased from the U.S. Navy and converted into factory purse seiners. Hence, the title.
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Omega takes 70% of the Menhaden caught on the East Coast, which has a catastrophic impact on the Chesapeake Bay ecosystem. Menhaden are forage fish. Most forage fish are filter feeders. Menhaden live on plankton caught in the Bay. An adult can filter up to four gallons of water a minute and can help combat red tide. They, in turn, are a source of food for populations of striped bass, bluefish, weakfish, ospreys, bald eagles, and dolphins in the bay. Take them out, and the ecosystem collapses.
A few notes:
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Omega Protein has been banned from fishing within three miles of New York, New Jersey, and Maryland—but not in Virginia. It claims inclement weather makes fishing in the Atlantic unsafe.
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Omega donates boatloads of money to politicians and local organizations to ignore the problems they are creating.
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The company is responsible for substantial fish spills. In 2021, they were responsible for two spills that resulted in an estimated 400,000 dead menhaden to be spilled into Hampton Roads waters, according to the Virginia Marine Resources Commission.
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Purse seining is responsible for bycatch or the capture of non-target species.
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Omega Protein is limited to a 51,000 metric ton harvest cap
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In 2019, Omega Protein, a menhaden fishing fleet, exceeded the Chesapeake Bay harvest cap set by the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission (ASMFC). This led to a non-compliance finding against Virginia and potential penalties.
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Though some regulations are in place, enforcement and compliance are difficult.
​
Please consider contacting Virginia state legislators to take action and protect Menhaden and the Chesapeake Bay.
