USDA Launches $8 Million Initiative to Combat Invasive Blue Catfish in Chesapeake Bay

The U.S. Department of Agriculture has announced an $8 million initiative to combat the invasive blue catfish population in the Chesapeake Bay, with $6 million allocated as grants to seafood processors in Maryland and Virginia to expand and modernize their operations. These grants, part of the Meat and Poultry Processing Expansion Program, aim to boost regional economies, support fishermen, and help restore the bay's ecosystem, which suffers due to the blue catfish preying on native species like blue crabs. Additionally, a one-year pilot program will purchase up to $2 million worth of blue catfish for distribution through food banks, turning an ecological challenge into a nutritional resource for families in need. Officials, including Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins and Representative Andy Harris, emphasized this funding as a win for rural communities and sustainable seafood industries, highlighting the potential for increased processing capacity to create more jobs and remove more invasive fish from the bay. Local seafood processors such as Tilghman Island Seafood see the grants as a critical opportunity to expand their businesses and help control the invasive species that has disrupted the Chesapeake Bay ecosystem. The blue crab population's decline, a key indicator of the bay's health and a major economic driver, underscores the urgency of this initiative.