Two employees of Westbank Fishing died early Friday, September 4, in a hazmat incident at the company's dock in Empire, Louisiana. Investigators and company officials have said there is no further risk to employees or the public, though the deaths remain under investigation.
The two workers were at the dock when the emergency occurred, according to investigators who spoke with WWLTV, as reported by Alt 92.3. The onshore facility processes menhaden into fishmeal and fish oil. The Plaquemines Parish Sheriff's Office, the Plaquemines Parish Fire Department, and a specialized hazardous materials unit all responded to the scene, and emergency crews secured the facility and confirmed there was no ongoing threat to nearby residents, per the same outlet's report.
As IntraFish first reported, the Westbank Fishing dock sits in Empire, within Plaquemines Parish, and the deaths remain under investigation. Westbank Fishing operates the vessel fleet that harvests and delivers menhaden to the Daybrook Fisheries processing plant, a relationship rooted in Daybrook's ownership by Oceana Group Ltd, according to the Daily Maverick.
The Scale of the Menhaden Operation
The Empire facility is no small operation. Daybrook Fisheries' processing plant there handles roughly 40% to 45% of the entire annual U.S. Gulf menhaden catch, converting the fish into fishmeal and fish oil, the company has said. That scale places Empire at the center of the menhaden-processing industry.
The cited sources do not detail the specific hazardous material involved, the applicable federal testing requirements, or the history of OSHA rules for the menhaden industry.
Incident Falls Near Peak of Harvest Season
The sources cited here do not provide dates for Louisiana's commercial fishing season or establish whether the incident occurred during a period when regional processing plants typically operated at peak volume.
Daybrook's Empire plant processes menhaden into fishmeal and fish oil. The cited sources do not establish the number or operators of other active Gulf Coast menhaden reduction facilities, nor do they verify a Westbank Fishing Blessing of the Fleet ceremony in May 2026 or its attendees and timing.
The company's ties to its South African parent have drawn scrutiny before. Following a whistleblower report and accounting delays regarding Daybrook Fisheries and Westbank Fishing, Oceana Group underwent a forensic investigation in 2022 that found no evidence of fraud, misappropriation, loss of funds, or management override of controls, according to the Moonstone Information Refinery. Oceana acquired Daybrook in 2015 and retains a 25% stake in Westbank Fishing; the remaining 75% had to be owned by a U.S. citizen to protect fishing rights.
No further details on the identities of the two deceased employees or the specific hazardous material involved have been released. The deaths remain under investigation.
