To scale the kelp industry in Alaska, farmers need reliable access to quality kelp seed. Seed consistency can lower cost structures and improve yield estimates, which can inform business planning and build trust with buyers.

On a clear March afternoon, John Smet shut off the engine of his workboat as he approached his go-to wild kelp bed. It was high tide, so less kelp was pooling on the surface of the water, making it harder to see.

For thousands of years, the Tlingit people have fostered systems of science and education indigenous to their home, allowing each clan to maintain stewardship of their lands.

NOAA Fisheries releases new aquaculture information and education resources page.

By focusing on sustainable and inclusive growth, governments and farmers can provide economic and ecosystem benefits.

The Alaska Mariculture Cluster has announced its investment in three pioneering projects to research kelp-based biostimulants for use in the agricultural industry.

A growing contingent of Southeast Alaskans are driving local economic transformation toward sustainability and Indigenous leadership.

The waters of Southeast Alaska are an ideal environment to grow species ranging from Pacific oysters to ribbon kelp.

Sean Crosby gives a behind-the-scenes look at the Kachemak Shellfish Growers’ oyster hatchery in Homer, Alaska – an operation that’s helping to fuel the state’s mariculture boom.

In addition to providing a sustainable source of American-raised seafood, aquaculture plays an important role in fisheries restoration.

Ketchikan, Alaska, U.S.A.-based distillery Uncharted Alaska was among the big winners at this year’s Alaska Symphony of Seafood awards.

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.

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.

The 2025 Mariculture Conference of Alaska will be held in Sitka, located on Baranof Island in the Alexander Archipelago of Southeast.

Greg Bates of Alaska Shellfish Farms recounts how he and his family have managed to grow their oyster business over the course of 17 years.

The kelp farms of Kodiak are now ready to expand, if buyers – and the necessary processing infrastructure to serve them – emerge on time.

Kelp culture is still in its infancy in Alaska, but Evie Witten of the Kachemak Kelp Hub has plenty of ideas to unlock the market potential of the world’s fastest-growing seaweed.

How can fishers dabble in mariculture? Two ladies in Alaska show us how to enjoy the best of both worlds.

Members of the NOAA Fisheries Alaska Region Aquaculture team attended the international seaweed growing conference Seagriculture, USA Sept.11-12 in Ketchikan, Alaska.

The Alaska Fisheries Science Center Kodiak Lab is currently conducting research that could support oyster farming.

The Alaska Mariculture Insights Project, which offers essential benchmarks, insights and industry data aimed at showcasing Alaska’s mariculture industry, has officially been launched today.

Alaska Sea Grant is pleased to announce the addition of James Crimp as the program’s shellfish mariculture specialist, based in Juneau, Alaska.

Alaska’s abundance of seafood allows us to anchor our cuisine around salmon, halibut, crab, and shellfish caught in our pristine waters. Yet, we frequently miss opportunities to include the savory umami flavor that seaweed offers to satiate and nourish the body.

Planetary health and macroalgae innovator Marine Biologics has announced funding from the Alaska Fisheries Development Foundation’s Joint Innovations Project for an innovative partnership with three Kodiak-based seaweed farms: Alaska Ocean Farms, Alaska Sea Greens, and Spruce Island Farms.

This Tide to Table Profile features Erik O’Brien, an oyster farmer working to anchor jobs and food in his rural Alaska community.

In 2024, the NOAA Alaska Regional Office and the Alaska Fisheries Science Center continued supporting Alaska’s aquaculture industry.

A quick word of gratitude for all involved in bringing the international Seagriculture conference to Ketchikan this week.

Alaska Sea Grant will share in new funding from NOAA to find out how to better understand consumer knowledge about seafood and mariculture products.

Alaska Sea Grant, in partnership with Connecticut Sea Grant, sponsored an opportunity for two mariculture business owners from Alaska and two from Connecticut to learn more about the seaweed industry in Scotland.

Sixteen early-career scientists and professionals were selected for the 2024–2025 Alaska Sea Grant State Fellowship. These Fellows will start this summer and fall, working around the state in support of Alaska’s coastal communities and marine resources.

“The anticipated movement of invasive European green crab farther into this area was verified Thursday when 11 carapaces of Carcinus maenas were collected on the shore of Gravina Island’s Bostwick Inlet, according to the Alaska Department of Fish and Game.” – Ketchikan Daily News

“From May 4 to May 12 an Alaskan delegation of seaweed farmers visited Scotland to learn more about different technologies and processes in the industry.” – The Cordova Times

A push to grow Alaska’s mariculture sector is rapidly gaining traction but faces new challenges, according to a February 2024 NOAA report.

The NOAA Alaska Regional Office and the Alaska Fisheries Science Center continue to coordinate efforts to support the growing Alaska aquaculture industry.

The beloved fish that feed orcas and humans depend on kelp forests’ unique habitat.

Alysha Cypher with the Prince William Sound Science Center has a $400,000 EPA grant to use waste heat from the local electric co-op to dry Cordova seaweed.

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) today announced $5 million in funding for three projects to evaluate the feasibility of extracting Rare Earth Elements (REEs) and Platinum Group Metals (PGMs) from macroalgae for use in energy applications.

The NOAA Alaska Regional Office and the Alaska Fisheries Science Center continue to coordinate efforts to support the growing Alaska aquaculture industry.

Alaska underscores both the urgency in developing the industry, and its promise. The communities here are losing their livelihoods and food faster than in many other places. In Alaska, ocean farming could chart a different path from the sort of extraction that’s defined it for more than two centuries.

In order to increase workforce development in the Alaskan kelp farming industry, Alaska Sea Grant hosted the four-day intensive hands-on workshop Foundations of Kelp Farming at the Kodiak Seafood and Marine Science Center in March.

Funded by the Exxon Valdez Oil Spill Trustee Council, the Mariculture Research and Restoration Consortium is a partnership between scientists and Alaska seaweed and shellfish farmers.

Phyconomy tracks the seaweed economy worldwide, and aims to “improve the flow of information in the seaweed industry” by maintaining a seaweed company database, newsletter, job board and publishing an annual Seaweed State of the Industry.

Pacific oysters are a smart seafood choice because they are sustainably grown and harvested under state and federal regulations.

The U.S. Department of Commerce’s Economic Development Administration (EDA) recently committed $49 million to grow Alaska’s mariculture industry. The award is one of 21 nationally chosen from more than 500 applications.

In Southeast Alaska, tribal leaders and local entrepreneurs are helping shape a kelp industry that prioritizes Indigenous values, regenerative practices and a commitment to Alaska Native shareholders.

Pacific oysters are a smart seafood choice because they are sustainably grown and harvested under state and federal regulations.