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Southeast Conference Hosts Hatch Innovation Services to Develop Alaska Mariculture Insights Platform
June 12, 2024
Lead Entities: Hatch Blue
Grant Component: Equipment & Technology
As part of the Alaska Mariculture Cluster grant project, Southeast Conference has contracted with Hatch Innovation Services, a leading aquaculture consultancy firm, to create an open-source Alaska Mariculture Insights platform for seaweed and oysters.
In 2022, Hatch produced seaweedinsights.com after conducting extensive field surveys in East Asia. At least 98% of global seaweed production comes from Asia, where China, Indonesia, the Philippines, North and South Korea, Japan and Malaysia have the longest traditions in seaweed farming. Southeast Conference and AMC coalition members recognized the value of having a similar insights platform for Alaska’s nascent mariculture industry.
“The goal of the Alaska Mariculture Cluster is to grow the sector to $200 million in revenue in 20 years, with a focus on equitable distribution of ownership and impacts. The Alaska Mariculture Insights platform will provide needed information as new people, investors, and suppliers engage with this growing industry,” says Dan Lesh, deputy director of Southeast Conference.
Jeff Hetrick, Director of Alutiiq Pride Marine Institute (APMI) in Seward, AK
From May 6 through May 17, Southeast Conference hosted Hatch’s Nitzan Unger and Mortiz Mueller, Managing Director of thefishsite.com, an aquaculture news site owned by Hatch, as well as two camera crew, Rhys Votano of London, UK and Weston Morgan of Halibut Cove, AK.
Over 12 action packed days, the group visited mariculture farms and facilities in Ketchikan, Craig, Naukati, Hoonah, Juneau, Seward, Homer, Halibut Cove, and Kodiak. Given the short time frame, the group couldn’t cover the entire state. The Prince William Sound region was notably missed and will be incorporated into the insights platform through virtual interviews and future visits.
The Alaska Mariculture Insights platform will be unveiled at the Seagriculture USA conference in Ketchikan September 11-12, 2024. Feature articles and videos about Alaska mariculture and the AMC grant will also be published on thefishsite.com.
Seagrove Oyster Farm in Doyle Bay near Craig, AK
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.
