In 2025, the Alaska Mariculture Cluster’s (AMC) Seaweed Tissue Analysis Program continued data collection and analysis to better understand the nutritional and chemical composition of farmed seaweed in Alaska. Twenty-five farms from around the state collaborated last year to provide over thirty samples of farmed seaweed for laboratory testing to identify their macronutrient, mineral, heavy metal, and sugar compositions. This project is crucial for helping the mariculture industry understand the compositional benefits of farmed kelp and represents a strong collaboration between farmers and scientists in Alaska’s mariculture industry. Data from this testing is now available at the link below.

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The Seaweed Tissue Analysis project is funded through the Alaska Fisheries Development Foundation’s (AFDF) Research & Development subaward under the AMC. The 2025 sampling was coordinated by Marine Biologics, who received, processed, and shipped samples to labs while operating out of University of Alaska Fairbanks’ Kodiak Seafood and Marine Science Center. All lab work was conducted by accredited labs using ISO-approved methods.

The 2025 data describe the composition of the following farmed species (additional wild species were also studied opportunistically when provided by farmers):

• Alaria marginata (winged kelp)
• Cymathaere triplicate (three-ribbed kelp)
• Hedophyllum nigripes (split kelp)
• Nereocystis luetkeana (bull kelp)
• Saccharina latissima (sugar kelp)

The 2025 results help pinpoint species of seaweed that have higher rates of specific compounds, informing innovations in cultivation and product development to meet market demands and carve out new niches for Alaskan seaweed.

These efforts contribute to the growing collection of seaweed chemical compositional data funded under the AMC grant. Prior work in 2024 collected similar compositional data for wild species and was synthesized into a Tableau dashboard. Results from both of these data analyses will continue to support industry awareness, document product safety, inform marketing efforts, and allow operations to better serve specific markets. To learn more about the 2024 and 2025 data analysis, as well as other tissue analysis projects, visit the program page below.

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.

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.