The Federation Marks a Historic Milestone with the Matagorda Bay Fishermen’s Processing Facility

February 25, 2026

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: Briar Blakley

Director of Communications & Member Relations

Phone: 404-765-0991

communications@federation.coop

Atlanta, Georgia — The Federation of Southern Cooperatives/Land Assistance Fund marks a historic milestone as the Matagorda Bay Fishermen’s Cooperative celebrates the opening of its seafood processing facility during its Third Annual Membership Meeting, February 27–28. The facility represents the Cooperative’s first year as owners and operators of critical seafood processing infrastructure, an objective members identified early on as essential to their business model.

Across the United States, there are few, if any, seafood cooperatives with the capacity to buy, process, and sell at scale that are controlled by communities of color. The Federation recognizes this achievement as powerful and historically significant, reflecting the determination and focus members demonstrated over years of sustained cooperative development. The Federation is honored to have assisted in achieving this milestone.

To support the acquisition, the Federation served as a bridging organization and used its Revolving Loan Fund, a financial tool that provides bridge loans to protect vulnerable land holdings and support cooperative operations. Through this mechanism, the Federation structured support for transactions between the Cooperative and the Matagorda Bay Mitigation Trust (MBMT), helping make cooperative ownership of major infrastructure possible.

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