Maine Canned Fish is building a cannery that could serve local fishermen

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Maine Canned Fish is building a seafood business around its own tins and a Topsham cannery that could also serve other labels and local fishermen. The idea is to give Maine seafood another route to customers beyond the fresh-fish counter.

Conceptual illustration for Maine Canned Fish showing fish portions in an open tin and a tray beside closed tins on a metal counter. — AI-generated editorial illustration for Maine Canned Fish. Not a photograph of a real person, product or event.

MoneyMakers10 November 2026

One facility, different customers

Its website says the fish in its own offering is wild-caught off Maine by Maine fishermen. Recipes are developed in its kitchen and the seafood is packed by hand.

The Portland Press Herald reported in September 2026 that the business has three intended strands: its own label, packing for private labels, and work with local fishermen to can excess catch or off-season product.

A shared cannery could give a seafood brand or fisherman access to packing without building a facility of their own. For Maine Canned Fish, those jobs could complement sales of its own branded tins. Both routes depend on finding customers, rather than merely having equipment.

From testing toward the shelf

The Topsham facility has already been a setting for industry discussion. University of Maine Cooperative Extension reported that a June 4, 2026 meeting there brought together participants to discuss seafood product innovation and market development. It identified Joshua Scherz as a co-founder of Maine Canned Fish.