Feeding the future generation, Maine Coast Fishermen's Association has taken to lunch lines, serving up sustainably harvested local seafood. On Feb. 11, the group crafted a fish tot suitable for tiny hands, which was well received by Kate Furbish Elementary School students.
Published February 20, 2025 by Laura Sitterly, The Times Record.
The Maine Coast Fishermen’s Association is working to get locally caught fish into Maine’s school lunchrooms.
The nonprofit has teamed up with school districts in Brunswick, South Portland, Rumford and Somerville to improve access to local seafood by developing student-tested menu options.
In July, Full Plates Full Potential received a $7.4 million subgrant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food and Nutrition Service, which it distributed among seven groups statewide, including MCFA.
With the Kendall Foundation’s New England Food Prize and the Full Plates Full Potential USDA funding secured, the nonprofit began collaborating with Graffam Bros Maine Seafood Market to create a fishcake suited for kids.
MCFA launched the product in Brunswick Junior High School lunch lines this fall. On Feb. 11, it broadened the reach to serve hundreds of tots to Brunswick tots.
Kindergarten, first and second graders at Kate Furbish Elementary School in Brunswick tried white fish nuggets with potato, egg, carrot, rye breadcrumbs, granulated onion, minced garlic and a hint of paprika, lemon juice, salt and pepper.
The dish was made with tiny hands in mind — perfect to dunk in ketchup.
“When we open up access to local foods in school meals, it means healthier, tastier food for our kids and more support for our fishermen and farmer neighbors,” said Full Plates Executive Director Justin Strasburger, whose sons both took part in the sampling. “We’re proud to support this and other local school food projects through our USDA School Food System Transformation grant program. And I’ll tell you, my kids are happy about it, too. My oldest begged me to bring home any extras for a snack.”
With a product down pat, several dishes can be created: fish tots, a 4-ounce fish cake and a loose mix that can yield many iterations.
For example, a recent sampling at Skillin Elementary School in South Portland featured a cheesy egg, fish and potato breakfast bake. Similarly, larger fish nuggets were distributed at the Somerville-area school district’s elementary schools.
The nonprofit is considering other options, such as fish empanadas and pot pie topped with biscuits or mashed potatoes. In the meantime, MCFA is collaborating with Hurricane’s Premium Soups & Chowders to develop new soup and sauce recipes utilizing local seafood.
“This project is all about partnerships and collaborations,” said Susan Olcott, MCFA Director of Strategic Partnerships, whose daughters are also part of the Brunswick school district. “[We are] so grateful for the two seafood businesses we work with — multi-generation, family-owned small businesses. The school partnerships have been incredible, too.”
An exercise in self-efficacy
Not only did students get a chance to try the tots, but some helped distribute the dish — an earned responsibility.
Kate Furbish second-grade teachers Meredith Sciacca and Kelsey Condon explained that, as part of the 2nd Grade for ME pilot program, students wrote a joint letter to assistant principal Jennifer Vitiello advocating for “more joy” in the cafeteria — menu choices that represent a variety of cultures.
“They were delighted when they saw new items start to appear and even more thrilled when they were asked to pass out samples,” Sciacca said. “Involving students in decision-making helps promote a sense of agency and democracy that helps them understand their voices have power. Seeing their ideas taken seriously has sparked a belief that when they speak up, they can make a difference.”
Olcott noted that the USDA recently increased its recommendation for how much seafood children should consume from once to twice a week. She framed seafood as a healthy source of protein and a healthy choice for the planet — local seafood has a low carbon footprint, making it eco-friendly.
MCFA seeks to educate students through lesson plans linked to seafood samplings. The hope is that this knowledge will spread to parents and the broader community, enabling a more robust supply chain.
In the classroom, students at Kate Furbish learned about the health benefits of fresh catch and sustainable harvesting.
Teachers also shed on local fishermen like Brian Pearce, who fishes pollock, hake and monkfish on his F/V Gracelyn Jane out of Portland, and Eben Niewukerk, who fishes monkfish and cod on his F/V Shannon Kristine out of Kennebunkport.
A big thumbs up
It’s safe to say the dish was well received. When it was time to tally the second graders’ thumbs-up reactions, one student insisted on writing 200% under the “I loved it” column.
“My students liked the fish, but they really enjoyed feeling part of the process,” Condon said. “When our second graders took a poll after serving first graders lunch, over 50% of the kids put their thumbs up.”
Sciacca agreed that the reaction was overwhelmingly positive and shared a few remarks she heard in the hallway and classrooms, such as “I thought I wouldn’t like them, but it tasted pretty good”; “We asked to have different choices, and we actually got it”; and “I eat fish at home, so I was happy to have it at school, too.”
Olcott thanked the Kate Furbish cafeteria, administration staff and students for their courage in trying something outside their comfort zones. She also commended the Gulf of Maine Research Institute, whose sustainable seafood curriculum has helped bridge the gap between the cafeteria’s seafood rollout and classroom topics.
While the timeline is difficult to predict, MCFA hopes to have one or two products available for purchase by the 2025-26 school year.
“We put a survey out to many school nutrition staff across the state and got great feedback about what they’d like to see for products/packaging/ingredients,” Olcott said. “We are basing what we do next on their ideas. All of [the products] will feature undervalued or underutilized locally and sustainably harvested species, and we will work with local businesses to produce them.”