Research and Workforce Development Priorities
In 2016, the Alaska Mariculture Task Force (MTF) was established and mandated by Governor Walker to assess and provide a report of formal recommendations for the development of a viable and sustainable mariculture industry.
In 2021, the Final Report to Governor Dunleavy was provided by the MTF, which was then succeeded by the Alaska Mariculture Alliance (AMA). Initial research and workforce development priorities, along with the vision, goal, and plan for developing a viable and sustainable mariculture industry in Alaska, can be found in the Final Report
In 2023, the Pacific Coast Shellfish Growers Association (PCSGA) Research Committee published the updated 2023 Research Priorities.
Research Projects
Lead Organizer
- Select Filter Criteria
- University of Alaska Fairbanks
- Alaska Fisheries Development Foundation
- Barnacle Foods
- Alaska Conservation Foundation
- Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution
- Prince William Sound Science Center
- National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
- Saltwater Inc.
- Kodiak Economic Development Corporation
- Alutiiq Pride Marine Institute
- Native Village of Chenega
- ARPA-e/ CAT 1 team
- Chugach Regional Resources Commission
- Pacific Shellfish Institute
- Alaska Sea Grant
- Valdez Native Tribe
- University of Alaska Southeast
- Pacific Hybreed
- Alaska Department of Fish and Game
- Sea Quester
- Alaska Ocean Farms
- Native Village of Eyak
- The Native Conservancy
- Greenwave
Research Topic
Species
- Select Filter Criteria
- Sugar Kelp (Saccharina latissima)
- Bull Kelp (Nereocystis luetkeana)
- Ribbon Kelp (Alaria marginata)
- Pacific Oyster (Magallana gigas)
- Seaweed
- Shellfish
- Basket Cockle (Clinocardium nuttallii)
- Littleneck Clams (Leukoma staminea)
- Pacific Razor Clam (Siliqua patula)
- Red King Crab (Paralithodes camtschaticus)
- Black Chiton (Katharina tunicata)
- Pinto Abalone (Haliotis kamtschatkana)
- California Sea Cucumber (Apostichopus californicus)
- Butter Clams (Saxidomus gigantea)
- 5-Ribbed Kelp (Costaria costata)
- Black Seaweed (Pyropia abbottiae)
- Red Ribbon (Devaleraea mollis)
- Stiff Red Ribbon (Palmaria hecatensis)
- Sea Otter (Enhydra lutris)
- Giant kelp (Macrocystis pyrifera)
- Dragon kelp (Eularia fistulosa)
- Pacific herring (Clupea pallasii)
- Red ribbon (Devaleracea mollis)
Bull kelp (Nereocystis luetkeana) is an economically desirable food source and there is a growing effort to establish bull kelp farms along the southern Alaskan coast.
Bull kelp (Nereocystis luetkeana), found along the North American west coast, is a species of kelp highly prized for both its ecological and commercial value.
The environmental dynamics and productivity of high latitude nearshore regions, and the impact on Pacific oyster aquaculture, are poorly understood.
In June 2023, NOAA announced the beginning of the process to identify Aquaculture Opportunity Areas (AOAs) in Alaska state waters, in partnership with the State of Alaska.
Ḵ’aach’ or dulse is a traditionally important seaweed species that has been harvested in Southeast Alaska for millennia by the Tlingit and Haida peoples.
The complex and extensive coastline of Southeast and Southcentral Alaska have precluded regular surveys of canopy kelp extent that would allow for the detection of long-term changes, presenting a significant knowledge gap on the long-term resistance of Alaska kelp species to changing environmental conditions.
Oyster farming in Alaska relies primarily on seed produced in hatcheries which offers an opportunity for genetic improvement of oyster seed using controlled genetic crosses and rigorous field assessments of seed performance.
Optimizing aquatic farm gear to reduce labor and increase oyster growth and yield is a goal for many Alaskan oyster farms.
Developing Alaska-specific Pacific oyster broodstock for optimized growth in the Exxon Valdez oil spill region, ...
This project will examine sea otter interactions with oyster farms and the relationship of these interactions with environmental parameters.
Cooperative seaweed aquaculture research.
Drying seaweed using waste heat: a proof of concept to build community resilience for food security and economic ...
Indoor cultivation protocols for the rhodophytes, Devaleraea mollis and Palmaria hecatensis from AlaskaThe goals ...
Effects of Kelp Farm Line Spacing on Cultivated Alaria marginataAs demand for kelp products increases, kelp ...
This project assesses how different seed densities and frond trimming influences the yield of biomass, as well as determining the temperature and salinity limits for juvenile kelp sourced from parent stocks from different regions.
Assessing the effect of feed type on growth rate and gonad development of the pinto abalone, Haliotis ...
Pinto Abalone Mariculture Potential (PAMP): Developing prognostic tools for intensive polyculture farming based on ...
Control of farmed Nereocystis luetkeana sporophyte density via novel seeding technologyCarbohydrates derived from ...
Potential for Resilience: Examining the Effects of Ocean Acidification on Alaskan BivalvesIn Southern British ...
Innovations in shellfish stock/fishery enhancement.
Innovations in commercial Nereocystis sp. farming.
Innovations in macroalgae processing.
Innovations in commercial Nereocystis sp. farming.
Integration of macroalgae mariculture into salmon hatchery operations.
This project is investigating the influence of future ocean acidification on Alaskan bivalves.
For this project, the team characterized the timing of developmental transitions from embryogenesis to the pre-settlement pediveliger stage of Pacific Razor Clam (Siliqua patula).
This project will investigate various applications of High Pressure Processing (HPP) technology for Alaska mariculture products and establish connections with the HPP industry.
This monitoring program builds off efforts started by the University of Alaska Fairbanks to evaluate water column variables, phytoplankton species (particularly HAB causing species including Alexandrium catenella), and oyster energy stores and toxin levels.
For this project, NOAA researchers will work in direct coordination and collaboration with farmers on Alaska Ocean Farms, a local kelp farm in Kodiak, Alaska.
A pilot project with the goal of establishing a shellfish enhancement model for Red King Crab in Resurrection Bay, AK.
A pilot mariculture research and development project to establish rearing protocols for Black Chiton in Alaska.
A Pacific herring (Clupea pallasii) spawn event in spring of 2020 destroyed the kelp crop on a 100-acre kelp mariculture operation, the largest operation in the U.S., worth approximately $300,000.
A mariculture research and development project to establish rearing protocols for Red Sea Cucumbers in Alaska.
This project examines the feasibility of utilizing hatchery/nursery techniques on the native Basket Cockle for shellfish enhancement purposes.
A beach restoration project examining the out-plant success of hatchery reared clams in Indigenous communities.
An evaluation of kelp farm feasibility in select test sites near Indigenous communities in Prince William Sound.
This project aims to develop feasible mariculture strategies for local communities to engage in kelp farming.
While the ecological and economic impacts of fouling organisms on oyster farm equipment are broadly understood, there is uncertainty in the effect that glacial runoff has on fouling community development.
This project develops a regional strategic plan to promote growth and opportunity around the regional marine economy.
This project will inform seaweed growers and processors of the optimal seaweed species, product forms, and target markets that suggest the highest value potential.
This team will be assessing the entire process of seaweed growth, harvest, processing and distribution in Homer, Alaska, to determine and remove recognized bottlenecks that inhibit the expansion of the commercial seaweed sector.
This project will embark on the third phase of the Alaska Mariculture Initiative (AMI), continuing and expanding on the successful efforts of the previous two phases.
This project investigates how integrating floating kelp species with non-floating species might impact yield per area of mariculture farms.
Using genetics to assess diversity in hatchery outplants, this project aims to determine if current rules for broodstock collection are appropriate.
Mariculture Research and Restoration Consortium (Mar. ReCon) is a research and monitoring program designed to address the needs of the mariculture industry in the Exxon Valdez oil spill (EVOS) affected area including Prince William Sound, Kachemak Bay, and Kodiak Island.
The purpose of this project is to increase local accessibility to regional expertise on kelp farming and increase local capacity for a kelp nursery to grow seedlings.
Researchers at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI) have developed a new concept for seeding grow-lines with juvenile seaweed for the mariculture industry.
This 5-year project aims to assess how Indigenous kelp mariculture operations within the EVOS spill area would be socially beneficial, economically viable and compatible with local cultural values of coastal communities.
Using aerial and drone surveys, this project aims to map and quantify the abundance of wild kelp beds in northern Southeast Alaska. This will provide an important tool to evaluate habitat value, interactions of aquaculture, and spatial planning.
By investigating/working with established kelp farmers, processors, and marketers of bull kelp (Nereocystis luetkeana), this project aims to develop, test and improve farming protocols to enable and support the growth of the industry.