February 25, 2026

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: 
Briar Blakley

Director of Communications & Member Relations

Phone: 404-765-0991

communications@federation.coop

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

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.

The facility purchase culminates nearly five years of cooperative development. During this time, the Federation worked alongside fishermen in Port Lavaca, Texas, through cooperative development workshops, planning meetings, feasibility studies, and business planning led by Federation staff and advisors. Through this phase, foundational cooperative concepts and ideas were discussed, then woven into the collective process.



Cooperative development is rarely linear, as there are often great challenges to overcome. When proposed oyster bay closures by the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department threatened the local livelihoods of this community dependent on wild-caught oysters, the Federation helped Cooperative members mobilize nearly 200 fishermen, build alliances with elected officials and regional seafood businesses, and successfully advocated for the decision to be rescinded, demonstrating the collective power of cooperation.

“This experience showed the fishermen that co-op power can be wielded in the sphere of economics, and when necessary, in the advocacy sphere as well,” said Terence Courtney, Director of Cooperative Economic Development.

Following the feasibility studies and completion of the business plan, the purchase of the facility followed. Much of the business model rested on the ability to process seafood products, and for this reason, it was critically important that the purchase was handled correctly. The Federation employed its Revolving Loan Fund to handle transactions between the Matagorda Bay Mitigation Trust (MBMT) and the Cooperative.

The MBMT was established through an environmental justice settlement following a lawsuit led by local activist Diane Wilson and Antonio Bay Estuarine Waterkeeper against Formosa Plastics for long-term plastic pollution in Matagorda Bay. Cooperative development was identified as part of the community’s pathway toward economic recovery.

Nearly six months after completing the purchase, the Cooperative reports growing markets, increasing stability, and strong member engagement. Building on this progress, members are partnering with the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, Texas Sea Grant, and other organizations to pursue waterfront leases for an emerging oyster farm, an effort that could mark another historic first in cooperative ownership.

Authored by Federation staff Terence Courtney, Director of Cooperative Economic Development, and edited by Briar Blakley, Director of Communications and Member Relations

→ Read the full story of the Matagorda Bay Fishermen’s Cooperative and its cooperative development journey

The Federation of Southern Cooperatives/Land Assistance Fund is a 58-year-old cooperative association of primarily Black farmers, landowners, and cooperatives founded directly out of the civil rights movement by twenty-two cooperatives.

Our mission is to be a catalyst for the development of self-supporting communities through cooperative economic development, land retention, and advocacy.

We envision sustainable rural communities supported by a network of farmers, landowners, and cooperatives based on local control and ownership.