Chapter 218 of the 2024 Acts of Assembly mandates the Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services to establish a stakeholder work group to support and encourage coordination efforts to create a robust and resilient market for blue catfish.
The Work Group plans to hold three meetings through May, with a in July to review a draft report. The Work Group is required to report its findings and recommendations on how to reduce the negative ecological effects of blue catfish and increasing the marketing, processing and the sale of blue catfish in the Commonwealth, to the Governor, the Secretary of Agriculture and Forestry, the Secretary of Natural and Historic Resources, and the Chairs of the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Conservation and Natural Resources, the Senate Committee on Finance and Appropriations, the House Committee on Agriculture, Chesapeake and Natural Resources and the House Committee on Appropriations, no later than September 1, 2025.
Additional Task Force information, including agendas, meeting recordings, meeting minutes, presentations, and other documents are available here:
Date: Thursday, March 13, 2025
Time: 1:00 - 3:00 p.m.
Location: 102 Governor St., Richmond, VA 23219
Date: Friday, April 25, 2025
Time: 1:00 - 3:00 p.m.
Location: TBD
Contact
Rachel Meyers, Program Manager
Office of Agriculture and Forestry Development
804.786.6911
rachel.meyers@vdacs.virginia.gov