Seafood processors in Maryland and Illinois will receive a total of $2 million to create new and better markets for the processing of invasive, wild-caught catfish through the Meat and Poultry Processing Expansion Program.
The US Department of Agriculture Rural Business-Cooperative Program states that this directly enhances Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins initiative by strengthen the capacity of existing processors to help reduce the population of invasive wild-caught catfish, especially in Chesapeake Bay, where they are causing significant ecological damage.
BSA Seafood LLC. has received $1 million through the Meat and Poultry Processing Expansion Program to purchase and install equipment at its facility located in Denton, Maryland. This expansion site will be used to purchase invasive blue catfish from regional watermen, process them, and produce value-added products that are distributed directly to restaurants, retailers, cash-and-carry, and institutions. This will increase annual removals of invasive blue catfish from area waterways, resulting in more than 225 tonnes (500,000 pounds) processed annually, creating 20 full-time jobs and retaining 15.
Chippin, Inc. headquartered in Virginia, has received $1 million through the Meat and Poultry Processing Expansion Program to complete facility upgrades and purchasing specialised equipment for its processing facility located in Valmeyer, Illinois. The upgrades will help Chippin, Inc., bring catfish to scale in the pet food market. Chippin, Inc. is a primary fish processor and pet food brand headquartered in Arlington, Virginia.
