President Biden announced the 21 winners of the $1 billion Build Back Better Regional Challenge. The regional economic development competition was funded by the American Rescue Plan and administered by the Economic Development Administration. The Regional Challenge provides each award winner funding to rebuild regional economies, promote recovery, and create thousands of jobs in industries of the future. The challenge aimed to boost economic pandemic recovery and rebuild American communities, including those that have been grappling with decades of disinvestment.
$49 million goes to Alaska’s Southeast Conference – comprised of Coastal Alaska regions including Southeast Alaska, Prince William Sound, Southwest Alaska, and the Kenai Peninsula. Southeast Conference’s aim was to develop a viable and sustainable mariculture industry in Alaska, according to KPEDD’s Tim Dillon, who told KSRM:
“We got together and tried to figure out what we could do for mariculture. As you probably know, the southeast has really developed some things, they’re probably a little bit ahead of where we are in the Kenai Peninsula and Prince William Sound and Southwest. What we’re trying to do is see whether there was an opportunity for us to enhance mariculture. When I mean enhance, a lot of the mariculture folks, they are really cottage industries right now here on the Peninsula instead of being full blown 12 month out of the year things. What we were looking at was – is this a way for us to enhance them to develop them into a bigger business?”
The Alaska Mariculture Cluster will use the funding to catalyze a sustainable mariculture industry, including producing shellfish and seaweed for the long-term benefit of Alaska’s economy, environment, and communities. The funding goes towards projects, which include Equipment and Technology for Seed Supply, Processing, and Regulatory Testing to solve the nursery/hatchery supply and demand challenge, and a Revolving Loan Fund to support business expansion.
Other projects include workforce development efforts such as cooperative programs with the region’s tribes and funding to grow seaweed and shellfish products.
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