20266801247022↗
Virginia Polytechnic Institute & State University received this grant or assistance award from National Institute of Food and Agriculture: $10.00M obligated so far for agriculture and food research initiative (afri). Its latest action was on 2026-09-04.
Key facts · data as of Oct 25, 2026
- Recipient
- Virginia Polytechnic Institute & State University
- Awarding agency
- National Institute of Food and Agriculture (Department of Agriculture)
- Obligated to date
- $10.00M
Source: USAspending.gov prime award records (obligations: money committed, not outlays), data as of Oct 25, 2026.
Cite this page: SpendQuery, Award 20266801247022, data as of Oct 25, 2026, https://spendquery.com/award?id=ASST_NON_20266801247022_012
Virginia Polytechnic Institute & State University: all federal awards · Department of Agriculture: spending
THE UNITED STATES RELIES HEAVILY ON IMPORTED SEAFOOD, WHILE MANY DOMESTIC SEAFOOD BUSINESSES FACE LABOR SHORTAGES, LIMITED PROCESSING CAPACITY, HIGH OPERATING COSTS, AND LARGE AMOUNTS OF PROCESSING WASTE. AT THE SAME TIME, INVASIVE BLUE CATFISH HAVE EXPANDED THROUGHOUT THE CHESAPEAKE BAY REGION, WHERE THEY THREATEN VALUABLE NATIVE SPECIES AND CREATE CHALLENGES FOR FISHERIES AND COASTAL COMMUNITIES. THIS PROJECT WILL USE BLUE CATFISH AS A PRACTICAL MODEL FOR ADDRESSING THESE CONNECTED ECONOMIC, ENVIRONMENTAL, AND FOOD-SYSTEM CHALLENGES. BY TURNING AN ABUNDANT INVASIVE FISH INTO A USEFUL FOOD AND PROCESSING RESOURCE, THE PROJECT SEEKS TO CREATE NEW MARKET OPPORTUNITIES, REDUCE WASTE, SUPPORT FISHERMEN AND SEAFOOD BUSINESSES, AND STRENGTHEN THE DOMESTIC SEAFOOD SUPPLY CHAIN.WORKING WITH SEAFOOD PROCESSORS, FISHERMEN, INDUSTRY PARTNERS, CONSUMERS, EDUCATORS, AND OTHER STAKEHOLDERS, THE PROJECT WILL DEVELOP AND TEST IMPROVED FISH-PROCESSING TECHNOLOGIES, NEW WAYS TO CONVERT PROCESSING BYPRODUCTS INTO USEFUL PRODUCTS, AND NEW SEAFOOD PRODUCTS FOR CONSUMERS. THE TEAM WILL ALSO STUDY SEAFOOD SAFETY, NUTRITION, CONSUMER PREFERENCES, FISH POPULATIONS, AND BUSINESS FEASIBILITY TO HELP GUIDE HARVEST AND INVESTMENT DECISIONS. RESEARCH FINDINGS WILL BE SHARED THROUGH EXTENSION PROGRAMS, WORKSHOPS, DEMONSTRATIONS, TRAINING, INTERNSHIPS, K-12 ACTIVITIES, PUBLICATIONS, AND ONLINE RESOURCES. THE LONG-TERM GOAL IS TO HELP BUILD A MORE COMPETITIVEAND RESILIENT U.S. SEAFOOD INDUSTRY BY IMPROVING PROCESSING EFFICIENCY, CREATING VALUE FROM UNDERUSED RESOURCES, EXPANDING MARKETS, STRENGTHENING THE WORKFORCE, AND SUPPORTING RESPONSIBLE MANAGEMENT OF INVASIVE SPECIES. SUCCESSFUL APPROACHES CAN ALSO BE ADAPTED FOR WITH OTHER FISH SPECIES AND IN OTHER REGIONS OF THE UNITED STATES.
What it is
- Program
- Agriculture and Food Research Initiative (Afri) (Assistance Listing 10.310)
- Where the work is
- Montgomery, VA · district VA-09
Obligations by fiscal year
SpendQuery holds FY2023 on; earlier years are on USAspending.gov.
Subrecipients: where the money went next
No subawards reported for this award. Primes report subawards of $30,000 or more; many awards have none.
Every action
1 action since 2026-09-04. Each is a modification or amendment with the money it added or took back.
| Date | Amendment | Kind | Amount | What the agency wrote |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-09-04 | 1 | A1 | $10.00M | THE UNITED STATES RELIES HEAVILY ON IMPORTED SEAFOOD, WHILE MANY DOMESTIC SEAFOOD BUSINESSES FACE LABOR SHORTAGES, LIMITED PROCESSING CAPACITY, HIGH OPERATING COSTS, AND LARGE AMOUNTS OF PROCESSING WASTE. AT THE SAME TIME, INVASIVE BLUE CATFISH HAVE EXPANDED… |
Source: USAspending.gov prime award transactions and FSRS subaward reports, as loaded by SpendQuery (data as of 2026-10-25). Amounts are obligations (money committed), not outlays. The official record on USAspending.gov ↗