The state of Virginia has awarded USD 248,000 (EUR 214,857) to the Wanchese Fish Company as part of a government program designed to increase blue catfish production capacity.
“With a total economic impact of more than USD 1 billion (EUR 866,372,317) annually, Virginia’s seafood industry is a major driver of local economic growth. In addition to the investment in the Commonwealth’s seafood industry and overall economy, today’s announcement serves as another step forward in protecting the Chesapeake Bay and Virginia’s waterways from the invasive Blue Catfish,” Virginia Governor Abigail Spanberger said in a release. “Congratulations to Wanchese Fish Company on receiving this grant and increasing the capacity for blue catfish processing in Suffolk and expanding market opportunities for Virginia’s watermen.”
The award was issued through the Governor’s Blue Catfish Processing, Flash Freezing, and Infrastructure Grant Program, which was established in 2023 to help grow local processing capacity for blue catfish, a voracious invasive species in the Chesapeake Bay watershed. The program authorizes the Virginia governor to issue grants up to USD 250,000 (EUR 216,590) to grow processing or freezing capacity.
“Blue catfish continue to be a threat to the Chesapeake Bay and the state’s waterways as it consumes a variety of prey, including valuable and ecologically significant species,” Virginia Secretary of Agriculture and Forestry Katie Frazier said in a release. “I am pleased that we could support Wanchese Fish Company’s expansion and bolster the state’s seafood industry by turning invasive blue catfish into a commercially viable, nutritious product.”
According to the release, the Suffolk, Virginia, U.S.A.-based Wanchese Fish Company, a division of Cooke Seafood USA, purchased roughly one million pounds of blue catfish in 2025. The company said the grant will enable it to increase its purchasing volumes to five million pounds annually over the next five years. The growth will also create between 10 and 15 new jobs at the facility.
“Thank you Governor Spanberger and the Commonwealth of Virginia for this grant and investment in the state’s seafood industry. We look forward to enhancing our processing infrastructure for wild-caught blue catfish sourced from Virginia’s Chesapeake Bay watershed,” Wanchese Fish Company Managing Director Warren Giesbrecht said in a release. “This investment will enable Wanchese to support more local watermen, meet a growing demand from key customers, and help address the environmental challenges posed by invasive blue catfish.”
