Your tinned fish obsession is helping resurrect a lost industry

Summary

Summary of "Your Tinned Fish Obsession is Helping Resurrect a Lost Industry" - The Indicator from Planet Money

Release Date: July 21, 2025
Hosted by: Waylon Wong
Produced by: NPR

---

Introduction: The Sardine Renaissance

Waylon Wong opens the episode with a discussion on the surprising resurgence of sardines in popular culture and consumer products. From dishware at Target to viral handbags, tinned fish prints have become ubiquitous. Wong muses, “I have a Trader Joe's tote bag that literally, the print on it is a recipe for sardine toast” (01:10).

Producer and reporter Adjoa Jima Brempong attributes this trend to multiple factors: the affordability of sardines as a protein source in an era focused on macronutrients and economic downturns, appealing packaging designs, and a shift in American perceptions. She notes, “after years of being told that they were stinky and gross, Americans are finally vibing again” (00:41).

The Global Canned Fish Market on the Rise

The canned fish industry has seen significant growth, surpassing $30 billion globally last year. While Europe has long been associated with high-quality tinned fish, particularly sardines, there is a budding interest in revitalizing the American canned fish market. Brempong highlights, “bringing back a bit of the US Manufacturing... there are some producers who are betting sardines are here to stay” (01:44).

Historical Context: The Decline of American Sardine Canneries

Historically, the United States was a powerhouse in sardine production. Cities like Monterey, California, were renowned as the sardine capital of the world, with production exceeding 10 million cans annually in the 1940s. However, the rise of tuna brands like Starkist in the 1960s led to a decline in sardine demand. Brempong explains, “Starkist... [took] down sardines, basically” (04:44).

By 2010, the last American sardine cannery, Stinson Seafood in Prospect Harbor, Maine, had closed its doors, marking the end of an era for domestic sardine production.

Revival Efforts: New England Takes the Helm

The episode spotlights the efforts to revive the sardine canning industry in New England. Christopher Sherman, president of Island Creek Oysters, shares insights into the strategic benefits of local canning. He states, “canning fish helps address a seasonal mismatch between supply and demand” (05:39).

Island Creek Oysters has established a cannery in New Bedford, Massachusetts, utilizing European-style canning equipment to produce traditional sardine can formats. Sherman elaborates on the challenges, noting the need to adapt European machinery to U.S. standards: “But it's a challenge they're happy to take on” (08:18).

Seasonal Dynamics: Aligning Supply with Demand

A significant advantage of canning is its ability to preserve peak-season fish for year-round availability. Sherman explains, “In the US in particular, everyone wants to eat seafood in the summertime... [but] production happens in the fall here in New England” (05:52). This alignment helps maintain consistent quality and availability irrespective of seasonal fluctuations.

Overcoming Barriers: Infrastructure and Equipment

Re-establishing the American canning industry faces substantial hurdles, primarily due to outdated infrastructure. Most U.S. canneries have specialized in basic can types like tuna or soup cans, making it difficult to produce the classic sardine can shapes popular in Europe. As Sherman puts it, “We're trying to do the thing, which is to manufacture this product here in the United States, and very few other people are doing it” (07:20).

Great Lakes Tinned Fish: A Fresh Start in Michigan

Marissa Fellows, founder of Great Lakes Tinned Fish in Grand Rapids, Michigan, represents another front in the sardine revival. Inspired by a visit to a Boston bar, she questioned why the Great Lakes region lacked a variety of tinned fish similar to European offerings. “I like to say the idea stuck. The date didn't” (03:58), Fellows recounts.

Launching her company in 2024, Fellows faces the challenge of shifting regional tastes. “I think there's still... a really big education gap when it comes to tinned fish,” she admits (08:39). To counter skepticism, her strategy is straightforward: “Just try it. You're going to love it” (08:54). She emphasizes the quality and flavor of her products, asserting that they require no additional ingredients to be enjoyable.

Changing Consumer Perceptions and Expanding Markets

The combined efforts of Island Creek Oysters and Great Lakes Tinned Fish are part of a broader movement to make tinned fish a staple in American diets once again. By focusing on quality, authentic flavors, and appealing packaging, these companies aim to redefine the image of sardines from being perceived as "cat food" to a gourmet option.

Brempong concludes that the growth of American tinned fish brands signifies a sustainable shift rather than a fleeting trend. “Along with Island Creek and a growing number of other American brands, she's trying to make sure Sardine Girl Summer doesn't end up as just a flash in the can” (09:09).

Conclusion: A Promising Future for American Canning

The episode wraps up by highlighting the collaborative efforts and optimism among entrepreneurs and producers dedicated to reviving the tinned fish industry in the United States. With a combination of traditional canning techniques, modern marketing, and a focus on quality, the American canning renaissance appears poised for success.

---

This summary captures the key discussions, insights, and conclusions from the episode, incorporating notable quotes and timestamps for reference.

Transcript

[NPR]

Npr.

[Waylon Wong]

This is the Indicator from Planet Money. I'm Waylon Wong, and fresh from Portugal, I am joined by producer and reporter Adjoa Jima Brempong.

[Adjoa Jima Brempong]

Hi, Waylon.

[Waylon Wong]

Hello. And you are here to talk about something that's all over my feeds right now. Sardines.

[Adjoa Jima Brempong]

Happy sardine girls Summer to all who celebrate.

[Waylon Wong]

Oh, I am celebrating. I've been celebrating. I'll never stop celebrating. But why are there tinned fish prints on literally everything from, you know, dishware at Target to viral handbags?

[Adjoa Jima Brempong]

I feel like there's probably a lot of reasons, like it's cheap protein in the age of macros and also recession indicators. Plus, like, there's good packaging design. And I think just like after years of being told that they were stinky and gross, Americans are finally vibing again.

[Waylon Wong]

They're realizing how delicious sardines are over rice or on toast. I have a Trader Joe's tote bag that literally, the print on it is a recipe for sardine toast.

[Adjoa Jima Brempong]

I love this for you.

[Waylon Wong]

And you know, I'm not the only one out there who is enjoying all of this tinned fish. The canned fish market is on the rise. Last year, it was more than a $30 billion industry globally. But when I think of fancy tinned fish, I really do think of Europe, European sardines, which is understandable.

[Adjoa Jima Brempong]

But we used to have a thriving domestic tinned fish market, too. And like a lot of US Manufacturing, honestly, that's been lost. Bringing it back will be a bit of a lift. But there are some producers who are betting sardines are here to stay.

[Waylon Wong]

So today on the show, what it takes to resurrect a lost industry and the American Canners giving it a try.

[Capital One]

This message comes from Capital One. With the Capital One Saver card, earn unlimited 3% cash back on dining and entertainment. Capital One, what's in your wallet? Terms apply [e-mail] this message comes from NPR sponsor Capella University. With Capella's flexpath learning format, you can set your own deadlines and learn on your schedule. A different future is closer than you think with Capella University. Learn [e-mail]. this message comes from Dell Technologies. Supercharge your studies during Dell's back to school event with AI PCs starting at $749.99 like the Dell 14 plus featuring an Intel Core Ultra processor. Shop now at Dell.com deals this message.

[NPR]

Comes from Capital One. Banking with Capital One helps you keep more money in your wallet with no fees or minimums on checking accounts. What's in your wallet? Terms apply. See capitalone.combank for details. Capital One NA Member FDIC.

[Waylon Wong]

The American Fishing industry has some real regional titans. You've got New England for its oysters, the Pacific Northwest for its salmon. Michigan probably doesn't spring to mind.

[Marissa Fellows]

What I would say to someone, of course, is never underestimate the underdog.

[Adjoa Jima Brempong]

That's Marissa Fellows. She's the founder of Great Lakes Tinned Fish, headquartered in Grand Rapids, Michigan. One day in 2017, she found herself in a relatable situation for me personally, having an awkward moment at a bar in downtown Boston.

[Marissa Fellows]

I was actually on a date.

[Adjoa Jima Brempong]

So she's looking at the menu.

[Marissa Fellows]

I remember seeing an extensive wine list like you would expect. You see all the different regions where the wine is from, but having tinned fish appear in that same way. It was just right in front of my face that, oh, my gosh, there's all of these imports from Portugal and Spain and Scandinavia. It was just staring up at me so vividly saying, why don't we have this in the Great Lakes?

[Adjoa Jima Brempong]

She couldn't stop thinking about it.

[Marissa Fellows]

I like to say the idea stuck. The date didn't.

[Waylon Wong]

But you know what? Plenty of fish in the sea. Marissa. And in 2024, she launched great Lakes Tinned Fish. But she quickly ran into one big reason why the region didn't have a slate of fancy cans.

[Marissa Fellows]

There is no fish cannery in Michigan.

[Waylon Wong]

Aside from the Pacific Northwest, most states in America don't have fish canneries anymore. But that wasn't always the case. Sardines used to be big in America. They immortalized in John Steinbeck's Cannery Row. Monterey, California, was known as the sardine capital of the world. At its peak in the 1940s, it produced more than 10 million cans a year.

[Adjoa Jima Brempong]

But by the 1960s, demand started falling, helped along by big tuna.

[Waylon Wong]

Big tuna? Are you talking chicken of the sea?

[Adjoa Jima Brempong]

Chicken of the sea.

[Waylon Wong]

Starkist.

[Adjoa Jima Brempong]

Starkist. Taking down sardines, basically. Sardine populations weren't as so canners needed something, some sort of fish to go in those tins, and tuna, like, stepped in. And sardines got demonized as too stinky, too fishy.

[Waylon Wong]

Over the next few decades, canneries shuttered. America's last sardine cannery, Stinson Seafood, closed its doors in 2010. That was in Prospect Harbor, Maine. So it's kind of fitting that the newest business to seize the means of canning production is also in New England.

[Christopher Sherman]

I often joke that there hasn't been a new cannery in the Northeast for 85 years, and it's probably for good reason.

[Waylon Wong]

That's Christopher Sherman. He's the president of Island Creek Oysters, which opened a cannery in New Bedford, Massachusetts, a couple of years ago. Christopher says canning fish helps address a seasonal mismatch between supply and demand.

[Christopher Sherman]

In the US in particular, everyone wants to eat seafood in the summertime, so demand goes way up. When patios open at restaurants, and starting in late May, early June every year, things really take off.

[Waylon Wong]

But cute rooftop season doesn't necessarily line up with the best time to actually harvest fish.

[Christopher Sherman]

A lot of production happens in the fall here in New England because everything, whether it's farmed, whether it's a shellfish or a fin fish, it's either thinking about hibernating for the winter and building up fat stores to do that, or it's thinking about migrating and doing the same thing.

[Adjoa Jima Brempong]

Fun fact. Oysters hibernate.

[Waylon Wong]

How does, like, an oyster hibernating look different than an oyster not hibernating is what I want to know.

[Adjoa Jima Brempong]

Apparently they, like, put on some fat, and then they stop filtering water. Oh, interesting. Island Creek just keeps them. They have, like, a sub basement that they put them in a sub basement.

[Waylon Wong]

I had no idea oysters had such rich interior lives, truly.

[Christopher Sherman]

So all of the seafood here in New England is gathering en masse in the fall and is really at its peak abundance, peak quality. And right when kids go back to school in the fall is when we see demand kind of slump.

[Waylon Wong]

Christopher says this means canneries can capture fish at their peak for a good price, and then consumers can enjoy it year round. But one of the biggest barriers for canneries to get up and running in the US Again is infrastructure.

[Christopher Sherman]

In the US you have essentially the tuna can, a soup can, or, like what we call the cat food can. The smaller. And that's kind of all the canning that happens here. So we wanted to do the European formats.

[Adjoa Jima Brempong]

So that's kind of like the classic sardine can shape. Think like the mouse bed in Tom and Jerry.

[Christopher Sherman]

And so in order to do that, we need to get all of the equipment for canning it and the cans themselves from Europe.

[Waylon Wong]

Now, the fish canning process itself is not rocket science. Christopher says it's basically 150-year-old technology.

[Christopher Sherman]

Essentially, what happens is the product gets brought in, and if it's fish, it gets cut. If it's shellfish, it gets shucked. It then gets par cook in some way. So it can be smoked, it can be steamed, it can go on the grill kind of Any, any kind of quick cooking process to just firm up the texture and add some flavor and kind of get it into a state where it's more easily canned.

[Adjoa Jima Brempong]

That's where the equipment starts to matter. Facilities tend to be specialized for specific seafood in order to facilitate processing. That requires a can seamer, specialized saws, microscopes to test the seal, a massive steam cooker called a retort.

[Waylon Wong]

And remember, this is all European equipment, so it also has to be adapted to US Measurements and voltage.

[Christopher Sherman]

We're trying to do the thing, which is to manufacture this product here in the United States, and very few other people are doing it, but it's a.

[Waylon Wong]

Challenge they're happy to take on. And over in Michigan, Marissa is doing her part to change hearts, minds, and palates.

[Marissa Fellows]

I think there's still, at least in the Midwest, a really big education gap when it comes to tinned fish. You even get the occasional person kind of sticking up their nose, like, ew, that's cat food.

[Adjoa Jima Brempong]

In response, her pitch is simple.

[Marissa Fellows]

Just try it. Try it. You're going to love it. You're going to taste right away that this is something that you would want to eat all on its own. You do not need to put even a hint of mayonnaise in this to make it edible.

[Adjoa Jima Brempong]

Along with Island Creek and a growing number of other American brands, she's trying to make sure Sardine Girl Summer doesn't end up as just a flash in the can.

[Waylon Wong]

Adjoa, thanks so much for bringing us the story.

[Adjoa Jima Brempong]

You are very welcome. Thank you for having me.

[Waylon Wong]

This episode was produced by Cooper Katz McKim and Corey Bridges. It was engineered by Gilly Moon and fact checked by Sierra Juarez. Kinkannon is our editor and the indicator is a production of npr.

[NPR]

This message comes from Warby Parker. Prescription eyewear that's expertly crafted and unexpectedly affordable. Glasses designed in house from premium materials starting at just $95, including prescription lenses. Stop by a Warby Parker store near you. This message comes from Bombas. Socks, underwear, and T shirts are the top three requested clothing items by people experiencing homelessness. Bombas makes all three and donates one item for every item purchased. Go to bombas.com NPR and use code NPR for 20% off. This message comes from NPR's sponsor, Thrive Market. Their biggest sale of the summer is on for a limited time. Get an extra 25% off low sugar snack packs and more. Go to thrivemarket.com podcast for 30% off your first order and a free $60 gift.