The Alaska Mariculture Cluster, led by the Southeast Conference, is accelerating a viable and sustainable mariculture industry for the long-term benefits of Alaska’s economy, environment, and underserved communities. A $49 million federal initiative is expanding Alaska’s mariculture industry, offering a promising economic and environmental opportunity for coastal communities.
Briana Murphy, the Mariculture Liaison for Chugach Regional Resources Commission, presented at the KPEDD Industry Overview Forum on April 24, highlighting their latest innovation of a mobile approach to processing, driving their economic development.
This method offers a unique way to move a single set of assets to cover a larger area, enhancing efficiency and reducing logistical challenges. The on-water processing makes it easier to support farmers and harvest larger farms with larger infrastructure. There is significant potential for mariculture to link remote communities to essential on-water infrastructure, building connections while strengthening economic resilience.
Murphy co-founded Mothers of Millions, the first mobile seaweed hatchery in Alaska, to expand the opportunities in the seaweed industry for Alaska’s rural and coastal communities, according to the Mothers of Millions website.
Funding from SEC and Build Back Better contributed to an opportunity for the organization to contract kelp farmers in Prince William Sound to harvest and stabilize kelp biomass aboard the mobile kelp processing facility. Additional funding has been secured through AFDF for the Spring 2025 harvest and continued improvements to the process.
With support from the Chugach Regional Resources Commission and efforts made by Mothers of Millions, mariculture is becoming a key player in the peninsula’s long-term strategy for sustainable development.