Sea Farms Inc. of Gloucester has been awarded a $250,000 state grant through the Governor’s Blue Catfish Processing, Flash Freezing, and Infrastructure Grant Program. This will be the inaugural funding award for the new program, established last year.

According to a press release from the office of Gov. Glenn Youngkin, this reimbursable grant will support the expansion, modernization of equipment, and storage space of the business with a new blast freezer in the company’s processing facility. Once installation is complete, Sea Farms will be able to purchase more blue catfish from local watermen, supporting economic growth and helping to remove the invasive species from Virginia waterways.

Sea Farms’ Gloucester location can be found on Ditch Bank Road in Hayes.

Secretary of Agriculture and Forestry Matthew Lohr said the funding will help turn the blue catfish, an invasive species, into a valuable commercial seafood product.

“The award not only benefits Sea Farms, but also l...