Amory Seafood in Hampton recently received a state grant through Virginia’s Blue Catfish Processing, Flash Freezing, and Infrastructure Grant Program.
The $247,000 reimbursable grant will allow the company to increase its processing capacity and purchase more blue catfish from local watermen.
The program supports the fishery industry around the state and helps to remove an invasive species from Virginia’s waters.
Amory Seafood has been operated by the same family for four generations. It harvests, processes, and distributes seafood across the East Coast and other parts of the U.S. The funding will allow Amory to implement a modern quick freezer and essential packing equipment in its Hampton facility.
For the past decade, Amory Seafood has been processing wild-caught blue catfish, working with approximately 20 local watermen. The blue catfish is a stable but unwanted and invasive population, and harvesting them offers a sustainable source of revenue for commercial watermen.
Virginia’s Blue Catfish Processing, Flash Freezing, and Infrastructure Grant Fund was established during the 2023 General Assembly session to address the overpopulation of the blue catfish in the Chesapeake Bay.
In Virginia, blue catfish are abundant in the James, York, Rappahannock, and Potomac rivers.
source: City of Hampton Virginia
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.