A grant of nearly $100,000 has been awarded for a processing and marketing study to evaluate the blue catfish industry in the Northern Neck and Middle Peninsula.
Gov. Glenn Youngkin announced the $99,840 grant late last month, part of $2.8 million in Growth and Opportunity for Virginia (GO Virginia) grants to advance 10 projects that strengthen regional economies, expand talent pipelines, and prepare sites for future business investment.
The River to Table grant covers the counties of Gloucester, Mathews, Middlesex, Lancaster, Essex and King George.This study will map existing infrastructure and identify opportunities to expand harvesting, processing and sales.By increasing the harvest of this invasive species, the project aims to protect native fisheries while creating new economic opportunities for aquaculture and seafood businesses in the region, the governor’s release stated.
“There’s an influx of blue catfish in the Chesapeake Bay and its tributaries, and they’re wreaking havoc on...