The cooperative agreement will provide funds for the purchase, processing, and distribution of wild-caught catfish to be made available through food banks or other food distributors

The Department of Agriculture Agricultural Marketing Service awarded the Maryland Department of Agriculture a $2 million Cooperative Agreement on October 15, 2025, under the Chesapeake Bay Blue Catfish Purchasing program (CFDA 10.196) to purchase, process, and distribute wild-caught blue catfish from the Chesapeake Bay to food-insecure communities statewide through December 31, 2026.

The award funds the harvesting and processing of more than 280,000 pounds of invasive wild blue catfish by four local facilities in the Chesapeake Bay region, with distribution through three regional food bank networks serving Maryland communities in need. The Maryland Department of Agriculture will subaward funds to the Maryland Food Bank, Capital Area Food Bank, and Western Maryland Food Bank to purchase catfish filets from regional processors and coordinate statewide distribution.

Performance requirements include semi-annual financial and progress reports and a final performance report documenting total pounds purchased, participating processors and vendors, distribution locations, total expenditures, and a narrative of activities conducted during each reporting period. Place of performance is Maryland.

Two million of section 32 funds will be used to administer a program to remove wild blue catfish from the chesapeake BAY, develop processing and distribution capacity, and provide nutritious protein to those in need. The maryland department of agriculture will provide funding to the maryland food bank, capital area food bank, and western maryland food bank to purchase invasive wild blue catfish from processors based in the chesapeake BAY region. More than 280,000 pounds of wild-caught blue catfish will be harvested and processed by four local facilities, then distributed through the three regional food bank networks to support communities in need. Award recipients are required to submit semi-annual financial and progress reports, and final performance and financial reports. Performance reports will include the total number of pounds of wild-caught chesapeake BAY blue catfish purchased to date; the total number of processors and vendors that have participated in the program to date; the total number of locations that have distributed wild-caught chesapeake BAY blue catfish to date; the total number of dollars spent on wild-caught chesapeake BAY blue catfish to date; and a written narrative describing activities conducted during the reporting period. The wild-caught chesapeake BAY blue catfish will be distributed to communities in need. The recipient plans to subaward funds to the maryland food bank, capital area food bank, and western maryland food bank. With this group of non-profits, the maryland department of agriculture will ensure blue catfish filets are distributed statewide.