INTRACOASTAL CITY - There are the shrimping and oyster industry that are being affected by the oil spill. Two weeks ago when the Louisiana Wildlife and Fisheries banned fishing in federal waters as far west as the coast of Vermilion Parish, it hurt another industry – pogey fishing.

The small, smelly fish has been a part of the parish for the last 50 years and is a big money maker.

Omega Protein, the largest pogey producers in America, has a plant located in Intracoastal City.

The fish are used for animal feed, along with making Omega-3 oil for humans.

The plant in Intracoastal City has 10 fishing boats and from April to November,

10 boats are fishing, with spotter planes above searching for schools of fish.

Well, those boats and spotter planes are searching for fish, but in a different area than they normally are thanks in part to National waters closed off the coast of Vermilion Parish and everything east.

For the last two weeks, a few Omega Protein boats from Intracoastal City have been fishing in state waters (three miles off the coast) and the rest have shifted to fishing off the Cameron Parish coastline. Federal waters are still open for fishing off the coast of Cameron Parish and Texas.

The boats that normally fish off the coast of Cameron have moved to fishing off the coast of Texas.

Ben Landry, who is in charge of public affairs for Omega Protein, said despite the change in fishing, the Intracoastal plant is operating normally.

“We are still catching fish in state waters,” said Landry. “We have cooperated with the Wildlife and Fisheries. We are not pushing them to open the federal waters.

“It, however, has been a difficult season.”

Landry said no one who works for Omega Protein has been laid off. The boats at the Moss Bluff plant are tied and not fishing. Landry said no one has been laid off at that plant.

Landry said the company has no plans to lay off anyone.