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USDA Launches $8 Million Initiative to Expand Processing of Invasive Chesapeake Bay Catfish

The program seeks to bolster rural economies by funding new seafood facilities, using a pilot procurement effort to redirect the invasive fish into affordable protein channels.

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Congressman Andy Harris and U.S. Department of Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins announce a $6 million grant program for Maryland fisherman to catch and process invasive blue catfish. (Hannah Gaskill/Staff)

Overview

  • USDA’s Meat and Poultry Processing Expansion Program opened a $6 million grant window for Chesapeake Bay processors, with awards ranging from $250,000 to $1 million requiring a 50 percent cost match.
  • A one-year, $2 million Section 32 pilot will allow USDA to purchase wild‐caught blue catfish for distribution through food banks and charitable feeding networks.
  • Applications are open on Grants.gov through October 6, 2025, as four USDA-approved processors in Maryland gear up to tackle an estimated one billion pounds of invasive catfish.
  • Officials say the funding will create good-paying jobs on Maryland’s Eastern Shore and spur new processing infrastructure to curb the ecological threat posed by blue catfish.
  • Tilghman Island Seafood currently processes about 20,000 pounds of blue catfish per day and plans to use grant funding to automate operations and boost its daily output.