Partnership helping 'nourish our community,' says Gather culinary director

Friday, May 16, 2025
Aerial view of UNH's AquaFort, a self-contained aquaculture system

The trout donated to Gather by UNH is raised and harvested in UNH’s integrated multi-trophic aquaculture (IMTA) AquaFort, a self-contained aquaculture system that allows multiple species to grow at the same time within a single floating structure.

The Center for Sustainable Seafood Systems at the Âé¶¹app has donated close to 60 pounds of smoked steelhead trout to , a nonprofit that helps feed those experiencing hunger in New Hampshire’s Seacoast and southern Maine. The responsibly grown fish is a product of UNH's AquaFort, a floating aquaculture platform located off the coast of New Hampshire.

“We’re really excited to see our locally grown fish make a difference in solving the problem of hunger through the good work being done at Gather,†says David Fredriksson, professor of ocean engineering and director of the Center for Sustainable Seafood System at UNH. “We feel it is an important part of our operation to donate high quality, locally sourced food that is conscientiously cultivated while we work toward developing a sustainable local aquaculture system.â€

UNH partnered with Gather to help provide a source of fish that could be more accessible to those dealing with food insecurities.Ìı

"We are so proud to be partnering with UNH and deeply grateful for the generous donations," says Tania Marino, culinary director at Gather. "Access to fresh, locally grown fish of this quality is a rare opportunity for our members. Being able to offer something nutritious that doesn’t require cooking has been especially meaningful — it supports our unhoused population who may not have access to a kitchen and it helps seniors who find preparing meals a challenge. This partnership is truly helping us nourish our community.â€

The steelhead trout is raised and harvested in UNH’s integrated multi-trophic aquaculture (IMTA) AquaFort, a self-contained aquaculture system that allows multiple species to grow at the same time within a single floating structure. Along with the steelhead trout, UNH also grows blue mussels and sugar kelp at the Aquafort. The steelhead trout is harvested throughout the summer and available fresh at several local fish markets during the season. A portion of the fish is smoked by the Boston Smoked Fish Company using a mixture of brown sugar, tamari, salt and other spices and packaged in a vacuum sealed pouch and frozen. Along with the donation to Gather, the smoked fish is available for purchaseÌı.

UNH has made several donations of the smoked fish to Gather so far. Some were made available to Gather’s members through their pantry and mobile markets, that travel into communities to provide much needed food. The other donations were transformed into nutritious meals and distributed to members. One of the dishes prepared by Gather’s Cooking 4 Community team included a creamy lemon trout pasta dish. A link to the recipe can be foundÌı.

Gather serves more than 10,000 Seacoast residents each month and distributes over 1.5 million pounds of food each year. Founded in 1816, by a group of compassionate women dedicated to feeding the families of fishermen on the Seacoast, Gather is one of the oldest social service agencies in the country.ÌıOver the years, Gather has evolved and expanded its reach and programs, but its commitment to ending food insecurity in Seacoast communities remains at the core of its legacy.

Photographer: 
Scott Ripley | UNH Marketing | scott.ripley@unh.edu | 603-862-1855