The Growing Alaskan Mariculture Industry

There has been aquatic farming in Alaska for at least the past 1,000 years, with documented clam garden beds thought to have been constructed in the holocene era.1 Alaska Native communities have long engaged in mariculture practices to increase production and enhance food security.2 More recently, aquaculture and mariculture has been identified as a key contributor to global and regional food security.34 Since the passing of the Aquatic Farm Act in 1988, there has been broader interest in the aquatic farming of kelp and shellfish species in Alaska. The passing of this Act caused a rapid surge in aquatic farming permits. By the end of 1991, 56 farms were permitted to grow kelp and shellfish species with 37 of these farms reporting planted inventory.5 Between 1991 and 2015, kelp and shellfish production has steadily increased, reaching 65 aquatic permits (57 active permits) in 2015, with a farm gate value of approximately $868 thousand.6 During this time, the primary mariculture products were oysters and blue mussels. Few operations grew and sold kelp varieties. In 2016, the Alaska Mariculture Task Force was formed with the goal of expanding Alaskan mariculture by identifying strengths and developing a plan to overcome potential challenges. The Task Force created a plan to grow the Alaskan mariculture industry to $100 million annual revenue by 2040.7 Soon after, in 2022, the Alaskan Mariculture Cluster (AMC), a group of 11 members from communities, the mariculture industry, Tribes, state agencies, and academia, led by the Southeast Conference successfully applied for the U.S. Economic Development Administration’s Build Back Better Regional Challenge Grant ($49 million). The AMC will use the grant funds to accelerate the development of the mariculture industry including the research of innovative production and processing methods for kelp and oysters, addressing bottlenecks in hatchery/nursery capacity, training programs, and the creation of the Revolving Loan Fund to provide financial support for local Farms. 8 With the creation of the Task Force and the successful acquisition of funds from the Build Back Better grant, the number of aquatic farming permit applications began to increase rapidly. An average of 14 new applications were submitted each year between 2017 and 2022 with most new applications coming from Kodiak and Prince William Sound, primarily seeking the cultivation of aquatic plants.9 Since 2017, the quantity of harvested aquatic plants has increased to a peak of approximately 870 thousand wet pounds in 2022. The total number of oysters sold (farm gate and to other farmers) has fluctuated significantly in the past; however, due to additional issue of Alaskan hatchery permits, the number of oysters sold to other farms as seed has increased to 8.1 million oysters in 2023 (from approx. 3 million oysters in 2022).

In 2023, Alaska was named an Aquaculture Opportunity Area (AOA) by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration due to the significant growth and interest in mariculture opportunities and outstanding support from government, Tribes, industry, and non-governmental organizations. AOAs are areas that are evaluated for their potential to support mariculture farms while considering environmental, economic, social, and cultural impacts. With the naming of Alaska as an AOA, the successful application of the Build Back Better grant, other public and private investments, and the support from government, tribes, and industry, Alaskan mariculture is well situated for continued growth and development. As of October 2024, there are 14 Alaskan hatcheries and 79 aquatic operation permits issued. Of the 79 issued permits, approximately 34% are aquatic plants only permits, 32% are shellfish only permits, and 34% are combination permits. Southeast Alaska has the greatest number of aquatic farm permits (38 permits; 670 acres) followed by Southcentral (28 permits; 294 acres) and Westward Alaska (13 permits; 364 acres).10 Additional aquatic farm permits applications are currently under review with the number of active issued aquatic farm permits and acreage expected to increase to meet the 2040 annual revenue goal.

  1. Lepofsky, D., Toniello, G., Earnshaw, J., Roberts, C., Wilson, L., Rowell, K., & Holmes, K. (2021). Ancient anthropogenic clam gardens of the northwest coast expand clam habitat. Ecosystems, 24, 248-260.↩︎

  2. Groesbeck, A. S., Rowell, K., Lepofsky, D., & Salomon, A. K. (2014). Ancient clam gardens increased shellfish production: adaptive strategies from the past can inform food security today. PloS one, 9(3), e91235.↩︎

  3. Garlock, T., Asche, F., Anderson, J., Ceballos-Concha, A., Love, D. C., Osmundsen, T. C., & Pincinato, R. B. M. (2022). Aquaculture: The missing contributor in the food security agenda. Global Food Security, 32, 100620.↩︎

  4. Garza, F. A. (2024). Aquaculture and food security. In An Introduction to Sustainable Aquaculture (pp. 199-224). Routledge.↩︎

  5. Cochran, J. O. (1992). Report on Aquatic Farming Activities in 1991. Alaska Department of Fish and Game, Division of Fisheries, Rehabilitation, Enhancement and Development.↩︎

  6. Pring-Ham, C. & Politano, V. (2016). 2015 Annual Aquatic Farm Status Report. Alaska Department of Fish and Game, Division of Sport Fish and Commercial Fisheries.↩︎

  7. Mariculture Task Force. (2018). Alaska Mariculture Development Plan. Available at  https://www.adfg.alaska.gov/Static/fishing/pdfs/mariculture/ak_mariculture_devplan_06-29-18.pdf↩︎

  8. U.S. Economic Development Administration. (2022). U.S. Department of Commerce Invests Approximately $49 Million to Boost Mariculture Industry in Alaska Through American Rescue Plan Regional Challenge. Retrieved from https://www.eda.gov/news/press-release/2022/09/02/us-department-commerce-invests-approximately-49-million-boost↩︎

  9. Alaska Department of Fish and Game (2023). Status of Alaska Department of Fish and Game Aquatic Farm Operation Permits 2015-2022. Retrieved from https://www.adfg.alaska.gov/static/fishing/PDFs/aquaticfarming/adfg_aquaticfarm_op_permit_status_2015-2022.pdf↩︎

  10. Alaska Department of Fish & Game. (2024). Permit Summary Details. Retrieved from https://www.adfg.alaska.gov/index.cfm?adfg=fishingaquaticfarming.aquaticfarminfo_op_permits_species_region↩︎