Project Information

Title: Prince William Sound Kelp Mariculture Development for Habitat Restoration and Local Economy 23220300

Project Year and Number: 2023: 23220300

Other Fiscal Years and Numbers for this Project: 2024: 24220300 , 2022: 22220300

Principal Investigator (PI): Willow Hetrick-Price (Alutiiq Pride Marine Institute/Chugach Regional Resources Commission)

Managing Agency: ADFG

Assisting Personnel: None

Project Website: https://www.alutiiqprideak.org/kelp-farming

Research Location:

Restoration Category: Research

Injured Resources Addressed: Not Specified

Abstract:

The Chugach Regional Resources Commission (CRRC), in partnership with the Native Conservancy, is spearheading a five-year project to enable Native Alaskan and coastal communities to play a significant role in building a regenerative ocean farming economy in Prince William Sound (PWS). Our hypothesis is that careful and evidence-based kelp farming in oil-spill impacted areas of PWS will enhance localized water quality and habitat and sustain a profitable mariculture industry in the region through conservation-based kelp farming. Our overall goal is to establish this sustainable kelp farming industry in PWS based on best practices that fulfill long-term restorative economic development goals through specific objectives to:

  • Objective 1: Scale the infrastructure to increase the production capacity of the Alutiiq Pride Marine Institute and Community Kelp Seed Nurseries to meet projected kelp seed string demands of the region.
  • Objective 2: Develop effective, affordable, and sustainable practices for Native kelp farming through specific array designs, deployment methods, and seed cultivation strategies that will lead to the long-term restoration of oil-spill impacted areas of PWS.
  • Objective 3: Conduct a comprehensive landscape analysis by deploying research kelp sites and kelp dropper lines to develop commercial farm capacity rating per region. Collect, analyze, and share data related to water quality, kelp tissue composition, sea life and other factors that may indicate the viability of a site for commercial kelp farms.

    The project builds on three years of training coastal and Native Alaskan kelp farmers, kelp-nursery development at CRRC’s Alutiiq Pride Marine Institute (APMI) in Seward, Alaska, the establishment of seven test-line sites, research into native species, and technology transfer of best-practices in kelp farming and conservation practices. The project will pave the for 2000 acres of a recovering ecosystem capable of producing 30 million pounds of kelp annually through 100 Native-owned kelp farms. Our long-term goal is to support the development of the mariculture industry, to be led by Native-owned farms. We will adjust our vision to align with the Mariculture Development Plan. While we will not develop these farms directly, our kelp seed nurseries and test sites established under this proposal will allow us to confidently advise and support future farmers. Leveraging a mix of Native farmer training, infrastructure and market development, and metrics-driven research, this initiative will lay the necessary groundwork for networks of Native-owned ocean farms and kelp seed nurseries, processing hubs and value-added kelp businesses throughout Alaska

This project was approved for the FY22 - FY26 funding cycle.


Proposal: View (1,619 KB)

Reports:
FY23 Annual Report: View (854 KB)

Publications from this Project: None Available

Resolutions: