Based on the Potomac River in Piney Point, Bluecat Fisheries harvests, aggregates, processes, and supplies invasive wild-caught blue catfish as Chesapeake Bay Lion and full-fish byproducts. Its year-round buying network gives Chesapeake watermen a reliable market while turning a threat to native species into food, pet nutrition, and other useful products. The company reports removing more than 500,000 pounds of blue catfish from Bay waters and operates through a USDA-certified partner processor for human consumption.
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Tilghman Island SeafoodOn Maryland’s Tilghman Island, Tilghman Island Seafood turns wild Chesapeake Bay catch into hand-cut, retail- and foodservice-ready seafood, with an unusual focus on harvesting invasive blue catfish. Owner and lifelong Eastern Shore waterman John Nicholas Hargrove converted a historic oyster house into a USDA-certified catfish processing facility after seeing the species threaten blue crabs and other native Bay life. The company also works with generations of Chesapeake watermen and women to shuck wild oysters while supporting the region’s fishing communities and Bay restoration.TILGHMAN, MD
Byrd InternationalEstablished in 1995 on Maryland’s lower Eastern Shore, Byrd International produces pasteurized blue swimming crab meat for customers around the world. The Salisbury company carries the region’s crab-processing tradition forward with hand-picked meat packed in the Philippines, Indonesia, and Thailand, without chemical whitening. Its crab products are made under HACCP-compliant, FDA-registered facilities.SALISBURY, MD
Sea Watch InternationalFounded in Milford, Delaware, in 1978, Sea Watch International harvests and processes clams for frozen and canned seafood products from its Chesapeake Bay-region base. Its vertically integrated operation includes a company-owned clam fleet and processing plants in Maryland, Delaware, and Massachusetts, with co-packing and custom product development for foodservice and retail customers. Sea Watch also recycles clam shells for oyster-reef restoration in the Delaware and Chesapeake bays.EASTON, MD
Reliant Fish CompanyReliant Fish Company is a Welsh family business whose roots reach back to Baltimore’s Fish Market in the late 1930s. Family-owned since James J. Welsh Sr. purchased it in the late 1940s, the company is now in its fourth generation and serves Mid-Atlantic food businesses from Jessup, Maryland. Its long-running delivery operation and custom processing connect that history with the needs of today’s customers.JESSUP, MD