The mission of the Alaska Mariculture Research and Training Center is to build partnerships and leverage resources to facilitate and coordinate training, research and dissemination across disciplines (e.g. biology, engineering, economics, marketing, food sciences, etc.) for better success of industry and community development and to improve mariculture management.

Alaska Mariculture Workforce Development Plan

Alaska Sea Grant has released the Alaska Mariculture Workforce Development Plan, which covers goals, strategies, and action steps for meeting the current and forecasted training needs for a growing mariculture industry.

Fresh off the Press!

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and the State of Alaska have released their Summary Report for the Aquaculture Opportunity Area Spatial Planning Workshops that took place in February and March.

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NOAA Fisheries Releases 2024 Alaska Aquaculture Accomplishments Report

NOAA’s 2024 annual aquaculture report highlights key achievements in research, sustainability, and community-driven projects for industry growth in Alaska.

Mariculture Problem Space

As part of the Alaska Mariculture Build Back Better (BBB) Regional Challenge, the UAF Alaska Center for Innovation, Commercialization, and Entrepreneurship (ICE), in collaboration with the Alaska Blue Economy Center, has launched this space for stakeholders to identify opportunities and cultivate solutions within Alaska’s mariculture industry by refining qualified problem statements.

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Training Resources

Alaska Mariculture Workforce Development Plan

Alaska Sea Grant has released the Alaska Mariculture Workforce Development Plan, which covers goals, strategies, and action steps for meeting the current and forecasted training needs for a growing mariculture industry.

Alaska Aquaculture Opportunity Areas Spatial Planning Workshop Summary Report

This report presents key outputs from a two-part workshop series focused on Aquaculture Opportunity Area (AOA) spatial planning efforts in Alaska State waters.

Farming Seagrasses and Seaweeds: Responsible Restoration & Revenue Generation

This Report is the culmination of three years’ collaborative effort of an Interagency Working Group and the Steering Committee, and reflects all facets of the U.S. farmed seaweed and seagrass restoration sectors.

Alaska Food Strategy Task Report

The Alaska Food Strategy Task Force (AFSTF) has taken a systems approach in offering recommendations in seven focus areas to improve statewide food security.

Benchmarking Tools for Aquaculture Producers

The Maine Aquaculture Association (MAA) today announced the publication of a new report designed to help seaweed farmers build sustainable businesses.

Comparative nutrient drawdown capacities of farmed kelps and implications of metabolic strategy and nutrient source

Seaweed aquaculture, particularly kelp farming, is a popular topic as a potential solution for mitigating anthropogenic pollutants and enhancing coastal drawdown of carbon and nitrogen.

The Role of Seafood Consumption in Child Growth and Development

Seafood–including marine and freshwater fish, mollusks, and crustaceans–is a healthy food choice, but it can also contain contaminants. It is currently unclear how much seafood children or pregnant and lactating women are consuming, and what impact seafood consumption is having on children’s growth and development.

Lessons Learned Marketing Seaweed Products in the U.S. 2024

The report, “Lessons Learned Marketing Seaweed Products in the U.S.” captures the successful approaches existing seaweed producer and support organizations are employing to drive sales and growth of seaweed products in the U.S. The report builds on previous research on consumer perceptions and the use of “willingness to purchase” models with an intention to evolve from a theoretical measure of interest to one that documents real approaches in branding, product development and sales channels that has resulted in consumer sales.

Seaweed Handling and Processing Guidelines for Alaska

There is state and federal support for developing Alaska mariculture industries, which could help increase sales of Alaska seaweed, and increase the capacity and capability of new and existing companies involved in purchasing and processing. This guide was developed to help individuals and companies better understand what’s involved as they decide whether to enter the seaweed processing industry, and to provide some industry standards in the manufacturing or processing of kelp.

Final Report to Governor Dunleavy, Alaska Region Aquaculture Accomplishments

This report is provided by the Alaska Mariculture Task Force to Governor Dunleavy as a requirement of the Administrative Order No. 297 that re-established the Task Force. State support, spanning multiple administrations, is critical to reach the goal of growing a $100 million per year mariculture industry in 20 years.

Latest News

The future of Alaska: the Alutiiq Pride perspective

Jeff Hetrick, director of the Alutiiq Pride Marine Institute, a tribally managed marine research facility in Seward, Southeast Alaska, offers insights into the potential offered by the state’s growing mariculture sector, and the pitfalls it needs to overcome.

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New video showcases how cooperatives support Alaska’s oyster industry

The newest installment of Alaska Sea Grant’s Meet Your Alaskan Farmer video series documents an exciting development in Alaska mariculture—the expansion of oyster cooperatives—with a spotlight on Alaska Oyster Cooperative on Prince of Wales Island. The video, filmed and edited by FeelReal Films, is now available online as a resource to illustrate the possible benefits of cooperatives for ocean farmers throughout the state.

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