Sitka’s Fish to Schools program set a record for the most amount of fish donated in a school year.
For 15 years, the Sitka Conservation Society has been a steward for the program, enabling local schools to serve fish caught from the neighboring waters on the same lunch trays known for sloppy joes and rectangular pizza. Communications Director Caitlin Blaisdell says some favorite school lunches have emerged from the program.
“Kids love the rockfish tacos. That is just a hit every single time. But being able to go in and see the program hands-on, I’ve been able to see a few other meals, like their salmon chowder at Mount Edgecumbe High School. Oh my goodness, it’s some of the best chowder I have ever had,” says Blaisdell. “You can’t beat that in a school lunch program, and you’re looking for whole foods, nutritious foods, less processed foods, and nourishing our kids.”
Last year, the nonprofit received a record-breaking 6700 pounds of donated fish for the 2025-2026 school year. One fisherman and longtime donor, Andrew Friske, said for his crew, the decision to give a portion of their catch this year was personal.
“[My crew was] made up of four teenagers, all who have gone either through the Sitka School District or Mount Edgecumbe High School. And we talked about donating part of their catch as part of their crew shares. They were super excited to do it,” said Friske. “We ended up donating 20 or 30 whole frozen at sea cohos to the program this year, which will hopefully feed or have already fed a bunch of students.”
In addition to individual donations by fishermen, Fish to Schools’ record-breaking year was also enabled by the generosity of local organizations. Shee Atiká, Sitka’s urban Native corporation, donated nearly 4000 pounds of sockeye salmon, the first time it has ever been served through Fish to Schools.
For Blaisdell, reaching this milestone is especially meaningful after scaling back the program following the initial outbreak of COVID-19. The Sitka School Board voted this past March to determine their own lunch menus, which means that Fish to Schools meals will make a more regular appearance in cafeterias this year.
“Knowing that this has been a 15-year-long program, and it’s still going strong, and it’s going stronger than ever, really leans towards showing that community driven vision and that community passion of bringing fish into schools is really, really strong here,” said Blaisdell. “And we love to see it, and we love to support it, and we love to take it to the next level, and hopefully reach out to more communities to show them how that how they can do this too.”
As longtime Sitkans and both parents to kids growing up in Sitka schools, both Blaisdell and Friske feel that Fish to Schools provides an invaluable service in connecting students with healthy and culturally-meaningful meals. For Friske, it makes the work he does as a fisherman even more meaningful.
“Just being able to offer some of the best food in the world, which is only a couple miles from our doorsteps, and put it on [the] plates of our students, was amazing,” said Friske. “And just to see firsthand the kids enjoying salmon or halibut or black cod is one of the reasons why we go fishing, and to be able to see it firsthand is the biggest reward.”
Friske is looking forward to donating to the program this year, challenging himself and other fishermen to have 2026 beat last year’s record.
