Seaweed Farm
During 2018 and 2019, OceansAlaska laid the groundwork for Ketchikan’s Community Demonstration Seaweed Farm with help from the Pacific Marine States Commission’s Marine Aquaculture Pilot Project award. OceansAlaska is thankful for the help and the support of PSMFC.
OceansAlaska’s Community Demonstration Seaweed Farm is also working on outreach to commercial/sport fishermen, community members, seafood processors, Native organizations, and local environmental groups. Seaweed is good for the marine environment, providing ecosystem services such as the uptake of CO2 and nutrients and creating habitats and nurseries for valuable seafood species.
Phase one of the Community Seaweed farm, started implementing the infrastructure for the farm, including gathering fertile seaweed (bull kelp), producing seeded line, installing the anchors, and experimenting with different lines/buoys/chain configurations for the farm.
New Seaweed Events and Important Links
Documents
| MaPP Launches the Kelp StoryMap – First Nation and provincial partners of the Marine Plan Partnership (MaPP) are excited to announce the launch of an innovative communication tool, Regional Kelp Monitoring on the North Pacific Coast: A Community-Based Monitoring Initiative to Inform Ecosystem-Based Management, a StoryMap, to share information about their ongoing work to learn about kelp in Haida Gwaii, the North Coast, Central Coast, and North Vancouver Island.Because kelp is such an important component of the marine ecosystem – culturally, economically, and ecologically – MaPP developed a Regional Kelp Monitoring Project. Each summer since 2017, Guardians have mapped the extent of kelp beds, collected data on kelp density, and assessed the condition of the kelp. The data can be used to inform kelp management as well as other research both locally and globally such as studies on the impacts of climate change. Visit Regional Kelp Monitoring on the North Pacific Coast: A Community-Based Monitoring Initiative to Inform Ecosystem-Based Management, a StoryMap to learn about the importance of kelp, the MaPP kelp monitoring framework including how kelp is monitored, sub-regional highlights, collaborators supporting data collection, lessons learned, and the vision for the future. Some unique elements of the StoryMap include the First Nations names for different species of kelp, stories from each of the sub-regions about the focus and achievements of the Guardian crews, along with maps and research results. The StoryMap is expected to be updated annually to share the most recent findings and accomplishments. |
“Looking to start a seaweed farm in Alaska” visit AFDF for more info with the support of Sea Grant, Greenwave, OceansAlaksa, Alaska Fisheries Development Foundation.
If you are looking for more information about starting a seaweed farm specific to Alaska, see the following link, a short summary of resources.
- What is Algae?
- A Comparison of two rearing sites of the Giant Kelp Macrosystis intergifolia in Sitka Sound, Alaska by Samuel H. Rabung
- The Seaweed site: information on marine algae
- Cultured Aquatic species fact sheet
- Edible Seaweed Market Analysis
- Production of edible seaweed
- Common edible seaweeds in the Gulf of Alaska – 2nd edition by Dolly Garza
- Seaweed for a better life by Angela Lentisco and Steve Needham
- Kelp Farming Manual. A guide to the process, techniques, and equipment for farming kelp in New England Waters
- Seaweed Cultivation Manual
- The evolution road of Seaweed Aquaculture: cultivation technologies and the industry 4.0
- “We give them seaweed”: Social Economic exchange and resilience in Northwestern North America by Nancy Turner
- ShoreZone Coastal habitat mapping interim data summary report
- Common Seashore animals of Southeastern Alaska. A field guide by Aaron Baldwin
- OceansAlaska presentation – supporting mariculture through research, education and training
- Shellfish at work – reducing nutrient pollution in the Budd Inlet Watershed by PSI
- Surf to Turf mussel compost: removing and recycling nutrients from Budd Inlet by PSI
- Invisible No More
- Kolbert Oceans