Value-Added Seafood Product Grants

The NC Fishery Resource Grant Program awards companies for creating value-added seafood products.

Value-added seafood product grants are available for companies that pursue innovation in handling, processing and distribution of seafood. These grants are available from federal, state, community and private organizations. Value-added seafood products are post-harvest products that are sold in supermarkets and other retail stores. These seafood products are packaged to consumption, meant to be either refrigerated or frozen, and generally intended to have a relatively long "shelf life."

USDA

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) awards grants called Value-Added Grants to companies and organizations working on value-added seafood products. The USDA awards $1.3 million through 25 grants to 19 states. The average grant per company (or per state department of agriculture or state agricultural experiment station) is about $60,000, according to the website. These grants are awarded to help organizations, companies and states create new marketing opportunities, research or innovation in the agricultural industry. For instance, the state of Kentucky received $49,000 in grants from the U.S. Department of Agriculture to develop a seafood marketing system, and the Department of Agriculture of New Jersey pursued several plans in 2005 to boost value-added seafood initiatives, and was awarded a $56,000 grant to work with Rutgers University on ways to improve distribution efforts and the market. The USDA also awarded a group of New Jersey clammers a value-added grant to create the Jersey Seafood brand of premium bagged clams in 2006. Kake Tribal Corporation received grants for value-added seafood products from the U.S. Department of Agriculture in the past, according to In Business, a sustainable enterprise magazine. Applications are available on the USDA's website or through state government websites.

State Organizations

State organizations such as The Maryland Agricultural and Resource-Based Industry Development Corporation (MARBIDCO) awards grants to value-added seafood producers based in Maryland to help diversify and grow their businesses. The organization awarded nearly $200,000 in grants in 2010 to encourage value-added innovations by agriculture producers including seafood producers. In 2007 the organization awarded a $10,000 grant for Chesapeake Bay Seafood Industries Association to investigate value-added crab processing techniques. Money also went to create a new shellfish aquaculture to ensure clean water for shellfish in addition to other value-added initiatives. The organization partnered with the Maryland Department of Natural Resources (DNR) to create a program that will offer subsidized loans to local fishermen wanting to take on aquaculture projects. Applications must have been in the business for a minimum of two years, and the business must be able to match the amount given by the grant. Those companies that apply can receive up to $20,000 for a project, according to the website. Applications are available through the organization's website.

National Fish and Wildlife Foundation

The National Fish and Wildlife Foundation also awards grants for value-added seafood products through its Fisheries Innovation Fund, which awards $2.2 million in grants annually. A $200 million grant was awarded to the community-based Fisheries Trust Network, Ecotrust in 2011 for their work in helping with post-wildlife conservation and business-plan development for community-based seafood networks and companies. Applicants for the grant can apply via The National Fish and Wildlife Foundation's website. The University of New Hampshire was awarded $140,000 to create a river herring catch-share for the East Coast. The Ocean Conservancy was also given $200,000 to start an electronic fishery monitoring system for Gulf of Mexico Reef Fish, according to Philanthropy News Digest.

The Golden Leaf Foundation

The Golden Leaf Foundation provides grants to companies exploring value-added seafood products. The Golden Leaf Foundation provides both Open Grants and Economic Catalyst Grants that focus on agriculture, innovation and job creation. Ocracoke Seafood Company was awarded a grant from The Golden Leaf Foundation for its efforts in expansion and creating value added seafood products. The grant money went to saving a fish house where seafood is packaged for sale or put into value-added packaging and then distributed. This is one of several grants Ocracoke Seafood has received from The Golden Leaf Foundation. In 2008 the company received a grant for a oyster restoration project, according to North Carolina Rising. The Golden LEAF Foundation gave $200,000 to The American Prawn Cooperative in 2010 for research on live-hauling prawns. In addition Outer Banks Catch was also awarded a grant in 2010 for an undisclosed sum to increase consumer demand for local seafood products. Applications for the grants are available on the organization's website.

References

• USDA: USDA Announces Agricultural Marketing System Grants to 19 States and Puerto Rico to Expand Product Reach
• Maryland Agricultural & Resource-Based Industry Development Corporation
• National Fish and Wildlife Foundation
• Golden Leaf Foundation
• Seafood System Innovations; Ocracoke Seafood Company; June 22, 2011; by Resourceful Communities
• North Carolina Rising

Resources

• Value Added Seafood 2011
• Oregon State University; Marine Research; 2007-2008
• In Business; "Alaskan Tribal Community Invests In Local Enterprises"; April/ March 2004
• The NC Fishery Resource Grant Program
• Department of Agriculture; " Efforts abound,"' Charles Kuperus; September 9, 2005
• Department of Agriculture Jersey Seafood; "New Jersey Reels In Record Catch," January 24, 2006
• MARBIDCO; "MARBIDCO Announces ..."; October 14, 2010
• MARBIDCO: 2007 Report
• Outer Banks Catch
• Golden Leaf Foundation; "Golden LEAF News - June 2010"
• Philanthropy News Digest; "National Fish and Wildlife Foundation Awards ..."; May 2, 2011
• National Fish and Wildlife Foundation: Fisheries Innovation Fund