Every year, the Sitka Conservation Society coordinates a donation drive, working with fishermen, processors, and the Sitka School District, Mount Edgecumbe High School and other local schools to provide local, wild fish for Sitka youth. Our annual We Love Our Fishermen lunch provides further opportunities to strengthen community connections between youth and fishermen.
The mission of the Fish to Schools program is to deepen youth understanding of the local ecosystem and economy by integrating local seafood - namely salmon and rockfish - into school lunches, teaching “stream to plate” curricula, and fostering a connection to local fishing culture. As a founding partner, we believe that students should learn about and have access to nutritious, culturally-relevant local food that is intrinsic to our community identity. Integrating local foods into school lunch programs also improves regional food security, and decreases our dependence on factory meats that are shipped in from out of state.
You can find our Fish to Schools briefing page for more information about the program.
A Record-Breaking Year for Fish to Schools: 25,000 Servings of Local Seafood for Sitka’s Youth
2025 marks the largest Fish to Schools donation in the program’s 15-year history with an incredible 25,000 servings of locally caught fish that will nourish students in Sitka’s schools during the 2025–2026 school year.
For over a decade, Sitka Conservation Society’s Fish to Schools program has connected ocean to classroom by bringing locally caught seafood directly to school lunch trays. These meals are more than fillets. They’re acts of stewardship, expressions of community care, and reflections of ways of life rooted in the Tongass.
Honoring the Fishermen Who Make It Possible
Since the program began, local fishermen have generously donated a portion of their hard-earned catch to ensure Sitka’s youth have access to healthy, local, place-based foods. Their contributions deepen students’ understanding of where their food comes from, expand access to nutritious meals, and highlight the importance of sustainable commercial fishing in Southeast Alaska.
To every fisherman who donated this year: Gunalchéesh.
Thank you for feeding our kids, stewarding our oceans, and strengthening Sitka’s local food system.
A Historic First: Sockeye in School Lunches
This record-breaking year was made possible by a remarkable donation from Shee Atiká, whose gift of 4,000 pounds of sockeye salmon marks the first time sockeye has ever been served through Fish to Schools.
Gunalchéesh to Shee Atiká for bringing this culturally meaningful, nutrient-rich salmon into classrooms and cafeterias across the Sitka School District and Mt. Edgecumbe High School. Their generosity allows us to increase how often local fish appears on the school lunch menu and strengthens the connection between youth and the lands and waters that have sustained this community since time immemorial.
Rooted in Place, Nourishing the Future
Fish to Schools is about more than food, it’s about belonging, identity, and stewardship. It’s about fostering a generation of young people who know where their food comes from, who understand the fishing economy that shapes Southeast Alaska, and who carry forward the values of sustainability, reciprocity, and care for the Tongass.
At Sitka Conservation Society, we remain committed to protecting the lands and waters that make these programs possible so that future generations can continue harvesting, sharing, and celebrating the foods that define this place.
Together, we’re ensuring Sitka’s kids have access to meals that are healthy, local, and deeply rooted in the home they love.