by Jackie Nunnery
REEDVILLE—Ocean Harvesters recently introduced the F/V Tangier Sound, the newest member of its fleet. Capt. Alan Hinson brought the 167-foot vessel up from the Moss Point, Miss., shipyard where it had spent the previous nine months undergoing a conversion from offshore supply vessel to fishing vessel.
The Tangier Sound replaces the F/V Tidelands, which Ocean Harvesters chief executive officer Monty Diehl said was one of the most productive vessels they had. The retired ship will be productive in an entirely new way as it will be scuttled and become an artificial reef.
This nearly $10 million investment comes at a time when Ocean Harvesters, the last remaining commercial menhaden reduction fishery operation in Virginia, faces continued pressure from….
