Commercial Seaweed Hatchery Coming to Southeast and Southcentral Alaska

UAS is working with Premium Oceanic (PO) on getting a permit from the Alaska Department of Fish and Game (ADF&G) for a commercial seaweed hatchery. The hatchery is planned for the first floor of the Anderson Building (on Auke Bay across from the main Juneau campus) to promote a seaweed aquaculture business enterprise for coastal Alaska communities, especially in southeast and southcentral Alaska. Experimental out plantings are underway at a site just outside Auke Bay off Coughlan Island. PO has recently been working with oyster growers in coastal Alaska from Ketchikan to Kodiak Island for setting up commercial production of seaweeds. UAS will perform basic and applied research on the propagation and culture of several seaweed species that might be usable as commercial products and create a commercial seaweed hatchery which will provide “seed” for the individual “farmers.” PO will be underwriting most of the UAS effort as part of its investment toward the goal of making seaweed aquaculture a viable and profitable new business in Alaska.

Source: UA System Highlights 1-22-16