As a part of the Alaska Mariculture Cluster’s (AMC) Seaweed Tissue Analysis Program, a project through the University of Alaska Fairbanks (UAF) will study polysaccharides concentrations in farmed kelp in Alaska. These carbohydrates are a focus of several seaweed processing startup companies, with applications in health supplements, medicine, and other markets, and are an important tool of the mariculture industry. This study assessed the relative abundance of four carbohydrates (glucan, mannitol, alginate, and fucoidan) in bull, ribbon, and sugar kelp in Prince William Sound.

Awarded $20,000 through a competitive Request for Proposal (RFP) through AMC’s Research and Development component, this funding will support a master’s thesis project by a Cameron Jardell, a UAF student. Jardell continues to be involved in development of Alaska mariculture industry and currently works on kelp gametophyte seeding research at the Chugach Regional Resources Commission in Seward.

AMC funds support purchases of cultivated kelp, sampling supplies, and lab services.

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.