Omega Protein Executive Vice President, General Counsel and Secretary Exercises Options

NEW YORK (AP) -- The executive vice president, general counsel and secretary of Omega Protein Corp., a fish meal and fish oil producer, exercised options for 44,732 common shares and then sold the stock under a prearranged trading plan, according to a Securities and Exchange Commission filing Tuesday.

In a Form 4 filed with the SEC, John D. Held reported he exercised options to buy the shares Friday for $10.58 apiece, and then sold the shares the same day for $14.13 apiece.

The stock sale was conducted under a prearranged 10b5-1 trading plan which allows a company insider to set up a program in advance for such transactions and proceed with them even if he or she comes into possession of material non-public information.

Insiders file Form 4s with the SEC to report transactions in their companies' shares. Open market purchases and sales must be reported within two business days of the transaction.

Omega Protein is based in Houston.