Participants in the Introduction to Mariculture in Southeast workshop at Salty Lady Seafoods’ oyster floating upweller system (FLUPSY) in Auke Bay. Photo by Heather Hintze/Central Council of Tlingit & Haida Indian Tribes of Alaska.
An Alaska Sea Grant partnership enabled a group of Alaska Natives to dip their proverbial toes into the mariculture industry.
In February, Alaska Sea Grant collaborated with the Central Council of the Tlingit and Haida Indian Tribes of Alaska (Tlingit & Haida) to hold a one-day workshop in Juneau entitled “An Introduction to Mariculture in Southeast Alaska,” offered to Southeast Tribal citizens interested in learning more about the field.
“We heard from Tlingit & Haida that folks wanted to better understand what mariculture is happening,” said Alaska Sea Grant shellfish mariculture specialist James Crimp, who co-organized the event.
Mariculture is growing in Alaska, buoyed by a $49 million U.S. Economic Development Administration Build Back Better Regional Challenge grant to support a coalition called the Alaska Mariculture Cluster. The grant, which was awarded in 2022, has largely moved beyond the introductory phase for many of its beneficiaries, which meant some people needed an opportunity to catch up.
“Because the Build Back Better grant has been going on for a couple years now, it’s moved away from the basics of ‘what is mariculture, how do I get involved,’ to more processing, development, contingency planning,” said Ana Velasquez, an Alaska Sea Grant State Fellow working on mariculture issues for Tlingit & Haida. “And so those basic first steps haven’t been getting as much attention.”
The workshop was advertised by Tlingit & Haida and preference was given to Alaska Native applicants from Southeast Alaska. Interest was high, with 62 people applying. Seventeen people were ultimately able to attend.
The event began at the UAF College of Fisheries and Ocean Science facility at Lena Point with a classroom session on Alaskan mariculture, followed by tours of NOAA’s oyster hatchery and UAF’s kelp and abalone hatcheries. Participants spent the afternoon visiting private mariculture operations, including examining an oyster floating upweller system (FLUPSY) managed by Salty Lady Seafoods in Auke Bay, and touring Barnacle Foods, which markets kelp-based products. The event concluded with an oyster reception. “Several members of the group tried their first oysters,” noted Crimp.
Attendees traveled from all over Southeast, including Juneau, Sitka, Ketchikan, Kake, Hydaburg, Kasaan, Craig and Yakutat. Some came as official representatives of tribes or other entities, others on their own. While there was some interest in commercial mariculture among attendees, Velasquez said one key motivator was food security and the potential to revitalize traditional cultivation methods, such as communal clam gardens.
“There is interest in cultivating for food sovereignty,” she said. “So, food for the communities to be shared with one another and to support communities, rather than to be commercially sold.”
Based on the strong response, Crimp and Velasquez said Alaska Sea Grant and Tlingit & Haida are interested in offering more informational webinars, as well as other opportunities like fellowships and a hands-on oyster farming workshop.
