Moment of the award ceremony of Governor Spanberger's grant to Wanchese Fish Company to support Virginia's seafood industry.
Photo: Cooke.
Virginia Governor Abigail Spanberger announced that Wanchese Fish Company, Inc.—a seafood processor owned by Cooke—will receive USD 248,000 through the Governor's Blue Catfish Processing, Flash Freezing, and Infrastructure Grant Program to expand its production capabilities at its Suffolk facility.
According to a statement released by Governor Spanberger's office, as the seafood processing company invests in advanced automation equipment to increase production capacity of retail-packed blue catfish products, this grant will not only support Virginia's seafood industry but will also help remove an invasive species.
"Thank you Governor Spanberger and the Commonwealth of Virginia for this grant and investment in the state's seafood industry. We look forward to enhancing our processing infrastructure for wild-caught blue catfish sourced from Virginia’s Chesapeake Bay watershed," said Warren Giesbrecht, Managing Director of Wanchese Fish Company, commenting on the awarded grant.
"This investment will enable Wanchese to support more local watermen, meet a growing demand from key customers, and help address the environmental challenges posed by invasive blue catfish," Giesbrecht added.
Last year, Wanchese Fish Company purchased approximately one million pounds of blue catfish from local fishermen. With increased processing capacity, purchase volumes are expected to grow to around five million pounds annually over the next five years.
In addition, the Cooke-owned company—its corporate office and Wanchese Fish Company facility in Suffolk are part of Cooke Seafood USA, Inc.—expects the increase in volume to create between 10 and 15 additional jobs across its Newport News and Suffolk facilities.
In the grant announcement, Governor Spanberger's office noted that the Blue Catfish Processing, Flash Freezing, and Infrastructure Grant Program was established to address the overpopulation of this invasive species in the Chesapeake Bay, the largest estuary in the United States, which flows into the Atlantic Ocean and is bordered by the state of Virginia in its lower reaches and Maryland in its upper reaches.
The program provides reimbursable grants of up to USD 250,000 to support infrastructure development projects that directly support local food production, improve environmental sustainability, and demonstrate broad community benefits.
After announcing the grant for Wanchese Fish Company—which she congratulated for increasing its capacity for blue catfish processing in Suffolk and expanding market opportunities for Virginia's watermen—Governor Abigail Spanberger emphasized both the economic and environmental aspects.
"With a total economic impact of more than USD 1 billion annually, Virginia's seafood industry is a major driver of local economic growth. In addition to the investment in the Commonwealth's seafood industry and overall economy, today's announcement serves as another step forward in protecting the Chesapeake Bay and Virginia's waterways from the invasive Blue Catfish," she stated.
The protection of the Chesapeake Bay environment—where an ambitious restoration program has been carried out in recent years to restore oyster reefs in 10 of its tributaries, benefiting both the environment and the local seafood economy—was also the focus of Virginia's Secretary of Agriculture and Forestry, Katie Frazier.
"Blue catfish continue to be a threat to the Chesapeake Bay and the state's waterways as it consumes a variety of prey, including valuable and ecologically significant species," she said. "I am pleased that we could support Wanchese Fish Company's expansion and bolster the state's seafood industry by turning invasive blue catfish into a commercially viable, nutritious product."
According to Governor Abigail Spanberger's office, the next round of funding for the Blue Catfish Processing, Flash Freezing, and Infrastructure Grant Program is expected to open in the fall of 2026.
Meanwhile, commenting on the grant that has now been awarded, other local and state officials also highlighted the economic, social, and environmental benefits that this investment to expand blue catfish processing capacity at the Cooke-owned company will bring.
"I congratulate Wanchese Fish Company on their processing expansion, commitment to environmental stewardship, and investment in the Suffolk community and Virginia's seafood industry," said Karen Carnegie, 89th District, Delegate for Cities of Chesapeake and Suffolk.
"Wanchese Fish Company has established a proven history of reliability, innovation, and partnership within our community. Their ongoing investment in upgrading infrastructure and helping to remove an invasive species shows a strong commitment to both the Commonwealth and the city of Suffolk," added, for his part, Mayor Mike Duman.
"Wanchese Fish Company is a valued member of Suffolk's business community and a long-standing contributor to the area's growing food processing sector," stated, for her part, Senator Emily Jordan. "These improvements are crucial for expanding capacity, enhancing operational efficiency, removing an invasive species, and strengthening the region's blue catfish processing capabilities."
This good news for Cooke comes on the heels of other recent positive developments for the family-owned seafood group, which in the first few months of 2026 has already announced approval for the expansion of its subsidiary Kelly Cove Salmon's salmon farm in Liverpool Bay, Nova Scotia, Canada; the launch of its largest single-capital project in Scotland to transform its salmon hatchery in Cairndow; and the signing of a preliminary agreement to acquire Avramar Greece, to expand its presence in the Mediterranean.