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
- Spruce Root
- EcoTrust
- Atlantic Sea Farms
- Kodiak Archipelago Leadership Institute
- Kodiak Seafood and Marine Science Center
- Ostrea Marine
- PlanktoScope
- Salty Lady Seafoods
- Float Camp
- Regeneration North
- Holdfast Robotics
- Premium Aquatics
- Mothers of Millions
- Marine Biologics
- Alaska Sea Greens
- Blue Evolution
- Sun’Aq Tribal Enterprises
- Kelp Blue
- Craig Tribal Association
- Samuel Thornton Mechanical Engineering
- World Wildlife Fund
- Wilcox Farms
- Kelp Island
- Alaskan Sea Greens
- SWAMC
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)
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This project will focus on addressing the challenge of primary processing at the community hub and/or small farm collective scale (10-30 acres) and look to matching processing methods to local context and suitability for end products and markets.
The overall project is designed to evaluate the suitability of Alaska-farmed sugar kelp (Saccharina latissima) as a feed ingredient for certified organic layer hens, resulting in an improved market for harvested seaweed.
Bull kelp plays a crucial role in Alaska’s marine ecosystem and has significant economic potential due to its applications in food, pharmaceuticals, and biofuels.
The Sea Otter Sound Mariculture Data Initiative aims to advance sustainable mariculture practices in Southeast Alaska by conducting bi-weekly and post-extreme weather environmental surveys and site assessments at our lease in Sea Otter Sound.
Seaweed for human consumption must comply with daily recommended allowances to manage intake of heavy metals and iodine.
Blue Evolution, in partnership with Sun’Aq Tribal Enterprises through Wildsource, proposes an innovative project aimed at enhancing the mariculture industry in Kodiak, Alaska.
This 12-month project proposes to utilize existing technology for forced air drying and milling to run trials to assess the feasibility of utilizing these technologies on a larger scale for the primary stabilization of farmed kelp.
While the abiotic limits of bull kelp growth at the microscopic stage are somewhat understood, there is still a lot we don’t know about optimizing growth in hatcheries, especially in terms of light and temperature, and how different hatchery conditions may affect the final growth and yield of seaweed farms at harvest.
Commercial kelp farmers in Southcentral Alaska face logistical obstacles for harvesting, stabilizing, and transporting large volumes of kelp biomass from aquatic farms to population centers; the primary objective of this project is to develop a mobile seaweed processor to optimize the harvest and stabilization of organic commercial kelp biomass to assist commercial kelp farmers in southcentral Alaska to meet scaled up market demand and kelp production for the 2024-2025 growing season.
Fresh seaweed degrades rapidly after harvesting, preventing farmers and processors from bringing it to market in sufficient quantity and quality.
The proposed project, entitled Helical Anchor Performance Analysis, is a study of helical anchor installation processes and strength testing under a variety of bottom type and loading conditions.
The purpose of this project is to master the culture of this important commercial species in the hatchery and nursery.
Our ability to efficiently process farmed seaweed has improved, however current supply of Alaskan farmed sugar kelp exceeds demand, indicating the need to put greater emphasis on both expanding existing markets and creating new ones through species diversification, product differentiation, and development of diverse markets.
The project aims to evaluate selected subsistence beaches near seven native communities in south central Alaska.
Globally, seaweed and kelp are most commonly sold in the dried form. Supplying dried kelp for this existing demand is the most direct channel for kelp farmers in Alaska to sell their product and expand their farms.
Though there is extensive literature on grape wine production/marketing in addition to producing/marketing grain spirits, there is almost no information on kelp wine/spirit production and no marketing studies.
Shellfish farmers and subsistence harvesters in Alaska gravely need tools that can provide them with actionable information regarding blooms of harmful algae and biofouling larvae.
Increased sea otter populations threaten shellfish populations throughout Southeast Alaska, and necessitate innovative solutions for “grow-out” techniques for shellfish on subsistence and personal use beaches.
Oyster farming in Alaska relies on seeds produced using broodstock that have not been optimized for growth in Alaska.
Optimizing aquatic farm gear to reduce labor and increase oyster growth and yield is a goal for many Alaskan oyster farms. Tumble cages have become a popular culture method in other oyster growing regions, as they improve oyster shape, size and yield while reducing labor for farmers.
The hatchery stage is crucial for the success of cultivated kelp, where juvenile kelp are reared under artificial conditions, significantly impacting their health and production in the ocean.
Alaska has enormous potential to support the growing domestic kelp farming industry thanks to its expansive coastline, government support, seafood industry infrastructure, skilled maritime workforce, and diversity of native, marketable kelp species.
Alaska has enormous potential to support the US’s growing seaweed farming industry thanks to its expansive coastline, support from the state government, and diversity of native, marketable species.
Sea Quester Farms is dedicated to advancing commercially viable, food-grade bull kelp cultivation practices through field trials conducted at our farm site near Juneau, Alaska.
Sea Quester Farms aims to further develop food-grade, commercially viable bull kelp cultivation techniques through trials conducted at our farm site near Juneau, AK.
his project will investigate how varying light and temperature levels affect optimal bull kelp seed growth and hatchery process costs.
This study aimed to determine spatial and temporal patterns of commercially valuable carbohydrate compositions among commonly grown Alaskan kelp species during the typical harvest period.
This project aims to address this gap by monitoring bull kelp buoyancy at an exposed site in Prince William Sound over a year using suspended crab pots seeded with bull kelp.
The goals of this work are directed towards understanding the influence of ecologically relevant thermal drivers (temperature) and toxic algal organisms upon the growth and survival of Pacific oysters in Alaskan mariculture.
A pilot mariculture research and development project to establish rearing protocols for Pinto Abalone in Alaska.
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 ...
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.