As the Alaska Mariculture Cluster (AMC) enters the final stages of its grant period, an increasing number of AMC-funded projects are reaching completion and publishing their final reports. These reports capture the results, lessons learned, and resources developed through AMC investments and help ensure that project findings remain accessible to Alaska’s growing mariculture industry. In May 2026, three projects spanning Workforce Development, Equipment & Technology, and Research & Development released their final reports, highlighting the breadth of work underway to support Alaska’s seaweed and shellfish sectors.

OceansAlaska’s Hands-on Farm Training project funded planning and implementation of a three-day workshop from March 31 to April 2, 2026. This workshop, which was hosted at the OceansAlaska floating mariculture facility in Ketchikan, taught participants about seed production and hatchery operations. This particular workshop focused on educating participants throughout the whole hatchery production cycle, starting with microalgae production and ending with farm integration. 12 participants attended the workshop and the final report describes all workshop activities, including curriculum descriptions, industry impact, participant outcomes, and photos.

Additionally, the AMC’s Feasibility Study Program now has five published final reports out of nine funded projects. The Alaska Oyster Cooperative shared its final report for a shared shellfish processing facility, as oyster farmers in the Sea Otter Sound do not currently have a centralized location to offload, sort, cool, box, and stage oysters for shipping. This project enables the Alaska Oyster Cooperative, which is made up of five member farms, to envision what this shared space will look like, how it will operate, and create a roadmap towards building and functioning. The final report provides project context, economic analysis, potential revenue streams, logistics outlines, and financial plans for the Naukati Processing Facility.

Finally, the Chugach Regional Resources Commission (CRRC) finished its Kelp Agricultural Product Development project. This funding enabled CRCC to conduct research and field testing on a liquid kelp biostimulant product –– Sea to Sprout –– to refine its formulation and validate its agricultural benefits. The final report includes field trial results across a range of test crops, updates on technical documentation, newly created resources about the product, and relevant literature.

These reports represent just a few of the many projects reaching completion across the AMC portfolio. As additional projects finalize their work, AMC will continue sharing results, resources, and lessons learned to support industry growth and ensure that knowledge generated through these investments remains available to farmers, processors, researchers, and other stakeholders. Final reports and additional project information can be accessed through individual project webpages, the AMC Resource Log, the AMC Airtable Database, and the Mariculture Equipment Airtable Database.

Background

Southeast Conference (SEC) is the federally designated Economic Development District (EDD) for Southeast Alaska, as well as the state designated Alaska Regional Development Organization. SEC’s mission is to undertake and support activities that promote strong economies, sustainable communities, and a healthy environment in Southeast Alaska.

In September 2022, Southeast Conference was awarded a $49 million U.S. Economic Development Administration (EDA) Build Back Better Regional Challenge (BBBRC) grant to catalyze a viable and sustainable mariculture industry in Alaska, supporting the production of shellfish and seaweed, for the long-term benefit of the state’s economy, environment, and communities.

SEC leads the Alaska Mariculture Cluster (AMC) grant coalition, which includes members of Alaska’s mariculture industry, tribal organizations, regulatory agencies, university system, regional EDDs, trade organizations, and others. A Governance Body, composed of AMC coalition leaders and Tribal executives from each of the project regions, guides the grant’s work and equity metrics.

The AMC has complementary grant components designed to break down barriers and develop Alaska’s mariculture industry. The Overarching Narrative explains how the grant components work together to grow the industry in an equitable and responsible manner. The full project period for the Alaska Mariculture Cluster is October 1, 2022 to September 38, 2026, though some projects may be extended up until May 28, 2027.