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Immersed in Alaska Mariculture: Inside the Kodiak Familiarization Experience
September 30, 2026
Lead Entities: Rising Tide Communications, Tastemaker Comms
Grant Component: Market Development
There are few better ways to experience Alaska mariculture than by visiting a working farm, watching the cultivation process, touching and tasting the harvest, and meeting the people who make it all possible. That’s the idea behind the AMC Marketing Program’s Familiarization Trips, which immerse journalists and content creators in Alaska’s growing oyster and kelp industries through firsthand visits to regions across the state.
At the end of August, AMC hosted a press trip to Kodiak for Forbes reporter Esha Chhabra who covers climate solutions, business and sustainability. Coordinated closely with the Kodiak Ocean Growers Cooperative, the visit highlighted Alaska’s kelp sector and Kodiak’s role as a passionate, collaborative hub driving its growth.
The trip opened at the Kodiak Seafood & Marine Science Center, where Allie Conrad shared a tour of the kelp nursery and ongoing innovations in seed production. A kelp-forward lunch and meet‑and‑greet followed, hosted by Missy Good of Alaska Sea Grant and joined by local kelp farmers Alf Prior, Lexa Meyer, Chloe Ivanoff and Nick Mangini. In a discussion after lunch the farmers shared insights and challenges of kelp farming and the ways they support each other to build the industry in Kodiak.
The visit continued at Kodiak Island WildSource, the seafood processor owned by the Sun’aq Tribe, which received a $2.3m subaward for the launch of a Kelp Primary Processing Platform (KP3). CEO Chris Sannito and Stacey Simmons of Koniag Region Investments provided background on the processing plant modifications and project, regional processing capacity and insight into tribally led investments. The waterfront setting and tour underscored how the existing maritime infrastructure is compatible with the new mariculture industry.
Throughout the visit, multiple farm tours offered a close look at Kodiak’s community, including visits with Alf Pryor of Alaska Ocean Farms and Nick Mangini of Kodiak Island Sustainable Seaweed. Chhabra also enjoyed an excursion to Uganik Island for a visit and lunch with Tollef Monson and Adelia Myrick of Alaskan Sea Greens. A scenic road‑system tour added context on Kodiak’s working waterfront — and delivered memorable bear sightings that underscored the wild, uniquely Alaska setting.
This exclusive trip offered rare, firsthand access to Kodiak’s mariculture community — an opportunity designed to showcase the industry’s potential up close and understand the people and places driving its growth. Chhabra closed the visit by sharing her enthusiasm and noting she “can’t wait to advocate for the industry” in upcoming articles.
About the AMC Marketing Program
Funded through the AMC’s Market Development grant component, the Alaska Mariculture Alliance (AMA) and Southeast Conference (SEC) have launched a robust marketing program to increase awareness, demand, and long-term market opportunities for Alaska’s growing mariculture industry. The AMC Marketing Program is being advanced by Tastemaker Comms in partnership with Rising Tide Communications – two experienced firms with extensive backgrounds in seafood marketing, brand development, and campaign execution.
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About the Alaska Mariculture Cluster
In September 2022, Southeast Conference was awarded a $49 million U.S. Economic Development Administration (EDA) grant to stimulate private investment and grow Alaska’s mariculture industry to $100 million in sales in 10 years. The Alaska Mariculture Cluster grant involves a large coalition of state agencies, Tribes, non-profits, and others working together over a five year period ending May 2027.
