The current methods for bull kelp cultivation are economically inefficient and do not produce fronds of comparable size and quality to wild bull kelp, hindering the industry’s growth potential. Sea Quester Farms aimed to develop and refine cultivation techniques by experimenting with surface and benthic arrays and evaluating the impact of different seeding methods on kelp growth. The team has successfully installed all surface and benthic arrays, collected data, and harvested the bull kelp. Preliminary results show that surface arrays are susceptible to wave action and sun bleaching, indicating a need to adjust array depths and growline materials for improved durability. Benthic arrays appear to better support natural growth conditions, though maintaining consistent depths is challenging due to seafloor undulations, leading to plans for a precise depth control system using screw anchors and pulleys. Additionally, trials with different seeding techniques have underscored the importance of spacing for optimal bull kelp growth, prompting plans to increase seed spacing in future trials. Data analysis is ongoing, and final results will be shared through a comprehensive report and webinars to disseminate best practices and update the cultivation guide for wider use among kelp farmers.

Additional Information

We are pleased to report that we are ahead of schedule and expect to complete our current scope of work by the planned end date. We also foresee utilizing all of our awarded funds as planned.

Pending results

Our lack of understanding of how bull kelp buoyancy changes during the growing season poses  a significant challenge in designing cost-effective anchoring systems that can reliably support the  cultivation of this kelp throughout its life cycle. To address this critical knowledge gap, we  installed five kelp pots (1 m x 1 m crab pots) suspended in the water column (Fig. 1-3) and an  acoustic doppler current profiler (ADCP) near our research farm in Sheep Bay, Prince William  Sound. These kelp pots were seeded with 10 meters of bull kelp seed string in December 2023.  

Since then, we have conducted monthly to semi-monthly checks, monitoring bull kelp density,  whole kelp pot buoyancy (weight in the water), and individual bull kelp morphometrics. Prior to  April, individuals were not large enough to make meaningful measurements (Fig. 4; > 4 mm  [3/16”]). Between April and June, bull kelp density decreased (104.3 to 40.2 individuals m-1) on the  kelp pots. Overall, kelp grew an average of 31 mm (1 ¼”) between April (Fig. 5; 21.0 mm [7/8”]) and  June (51.7 mm [2 1/16”]) based on measurements from the top of the bulb to the bottom of the  stipe. We observed biofouling (encrusting bryozoans) in June. Due to the small size of the bull kelp, buoyancy measurements have not shown significant changes yet. 

Despite our thorough planning and execution, we have encountered a few challenges, opportunities for improvement, and have learned quite a bit about bull kelp rearing. The most  significant hurtle has been the slow growth of our bull kelp, mirroring a similar poor performance  in our sugar kelp this year possibly due to nutrient limitations in the water column. This has  impeded our ability to measure buoyancy on individual kelp, as they have not grown to a sufficient size yet. However, this gives us important environmental information regarding the  growing conditions required for successful bull kelp cultivation. The ADCP data has not been  analyzed yet but will be at the end of the study period when the instrument is removed from the  water. We expect these data will help to understand the currents and wave action affecting the  kelp during this slow growth period. Additionally, we faced unexpected technical difficulties with  the corrosion of poor-quality stainless-steel wire mesh. But, this has not impacted the experiment.  The ¾” plastic tape as seen in Fig. 3 has held up well. This structure does not need the wire  mesh that was the source of corrosion. 

Looking ahead, we remain committed to our project goals. We will continue to measure and  monitor the progress of our kelp growth. If possible, we would like to extend our grant cycle to  attempt a second season of growing bull kelp, given the poor growing conditions experienced  this year for both bull kelp and sugar kelp. 

Additional Information

With the challenges related to the slow growth of our bull kelp, we are still optimistic that we can  complete the scope of our project by the planned end date. If an extension to the project is  allowed, this will provide valuable data regarding bull kelp growth in the Prince William Sound in  addition to understanding how the buoyancy of this crop changes over time. Much of the  expenses, including data analysis and removal of the arrays, are scheduled for the end of the  grant cycle. We anticipate using all the awarded funds during the backend of the project.  Additionally, we will have access to environmental data including water quality, nutrient quantity, sunlight exposure, etc. from the Mariculture Reconn project, which could help us understand our  findings and provide further insights into the growth and buoyancy changes of bull kelp.

Results pending

Results pending

Results pending

Problem Statement: Addressing the challenge of primary processing at the community hub and/or  small farm collective scale (10-30 acres) and matching processing methods to local context and  suitability for end products and markets. 

Proposed Solutions: a) Identify energy, labor, and cost-efficient method(s) for stabilizing kelp at the community hub/small farm collective scale; b) Identify nested primary processing steps that can be used in place of or in addition to blast freezing as an intermediate post-harvest step; c) Engage  farm collectives and local communities to identify methods best suited to their infrastructure and  potential markets and/or products; d) Align methods with markets by matching the suitability of  stabilization method(s) to secondary processing steps, end products, and markets; e) Identify and  use existing resources and coastal infrastructure that can be seasonally shared with other  industries and sectors.  

Accomplishments & Lessons Learned: We successfully set up and tested processing 3,000+  pounds of farmed seaweed using a modified high tunnel for drying, salting for food preservation, and  fermentation to produce a plant biostimulant. We monitored and tracked inputs and results from all  processing methods. The data will be compiled and included in a final report. We sent samples of  the dried, salted and fermented kelp to professional labs for nutrition, composition, and food and  farm safety testing. We worked closely with APMI to share learning with local Native communities  through site tours and demonstration workshops. We were able to sell all of our dried kelp and  expanded local sales of value-added whole-leaf and spice mixes using dried kelp. We collaborated  closely with the Salmon Sisters, LLC who own the local processing facility we rent seasonally, and  who also market our products in their store and e-commerce site. We ran test batches with  Beltomatic, a mid-sized conveyor food dryer, in the effort to find a scalable approach to drying. 

Next/final Steps: We plan to run additional drying tests with an IR dryer that has been relocated to  AK. We will analyze and summarize all of the input data for the various processing approaches and  come up with recommendations for next steps in scaling processing in a small-farm context.

Additional Information

No anticipated challenges in completing the current scope of work by the planned end date. Anticipate spending all awarded funds. Additional information to share: We are very appreciative of the support and opportunity to test these varied approaches to primary stabilization and market  development. We have a greater appreciation of the challenges of scaling up to meet the  production potential of the region. We also have a greater appreciation of the challenge of  growing new markets. This work supports our belief that diversifying the approaches to primary  stabilization can create opportunities both to bring processing to scale and create new products  and markets.  

Forced air drying for the primary  stabilization of kelp and milling of dried kelp products has been identified as a research  priority yet few studies on the technology required or resultant qualities of the dried kelp  have been performed.  

This 12-month project proposes to utilize  existing technology for forced air drying and milling to run trials to assess the feasibility  of utilizing these technologies on a larger scale for the primary stabilization of farmed  kelp. The data collected in the trials, held at the Kodiak Seafood and Marine Science  Center (KSMSC), will be used to assess the economic feasibility of drying kelp in rural  coastal communities based on power costs and labor, the qualitative traits of dried kelp  products (nutrient profiles, salt content, heavy metals, water activity, microbial levels),  and create nutrient labels and product specifications for dried kelp products.  

KALI/Alaska Ocean Farms have  begun running the drying trials that should end the first part of August. We were delayed  starting this project due to the dryer, purchased by UAF/ASG, not being delivered until  May 28, 2024. The dryer was installed and became operational on June 18, 2024. The  kilowatt per hour gauge has yet to be installed on the dryer but should be installed by the  middle of the month. The hammer mill, also purchased by UAF/ASG is onsite and  operational. We have identified labs for compositional, microbial, and nutritional testing  and will start sending out samples for analysis once kelp is dried and milled. We have  dried around 100 lbs of wet bull kelp resulting in just over 11 lbs. of dried kelp. We will begin milling preliminary trials shortly. We are anticipating lower installation and  facilities usage costs then in our initial budget and will be requesting a redirection of  budgeted funds to additional testing of the dried kelp produced (fertilizer analysis) and  expanding drying trials and analysis of dried product to include at least two other species;  dragon kelp (Eualaria fistulosa) and split kelp (Hedophyllum nigripes). We will also  expand testing to include a water reduction step prior to drying utilizing a pneumatic  screw press. We will compare the compositional analysis between kelp that is pressed  and not pressed prior to drying. We will shortly submit a revised budget for  approval. (see attached picture of dryer with trays loaded with kelp). 

Additional Information

The next and final steps are to finalize installation and prepare budget revision for  AFDF review when total costs are known, continue drying and milling trials through the  summer, send samples for analysis and schedule demonstrations with Alaska Native farmers and leadership. 

No challenges anticipated in completing current scope of work by the planned end date. Spending of all awarded funds is anticipated, but after we know the full installation costs we will be submitting a request to modify the budget to include the additional testing as discussed above. 

Involvement of Beginning Alaska Native kelp farmers. Two beginning kelp farmers  from Spruce Island Farms from the Alaska Native community of Ouzinkie worked with  Alaska Ocean Farms in July to harvest kelp for the dryer trials. (see attached pictures)

Community and Alaska Native Outreach and Involvement: The Alutiiq Grown  Alaska Native farmers are very excited about these trials as we share progress at our  Alutiiq Grown team meetings. Through email announcements and direct contacts we  will be encouraging beginning farmers to schedule a time to come into Kodiak and view  and learn about the drying and milling process. We are also going to have a taste and tell  at the September Kodiak Archipelago Rural Regional Leadership Forum that has  participation from the leadership of our region’s tribes, Alaska Native Corporations and  farmers. This will include bagged samples of dried and milled kelp with their nutritional  content along with taste tests of dried kelp on popcorn! Alaska Ocean Farms will be  providing a powerpoint that walks through the drying and milling process, and will discuss with the Forum how they see small scale drying and milling working in our region.

Fresh seaweed degrades rapidly after harvesting, preventing rural farmers from bringing it to market. To relieve this bottleneck, this project aimed to develop an open-source primary processing line capable of size-reducing and stabilizing kelp at as close (physically and temporally) to the farm as possible. 

To do this, the project team conducted research to select a size reduction machine, the Vincent VS-8 shredder, that is inexpensive, compact, easy to use, difficult to break, has minimal labor and power requirements, the ability to scale up, and the ability to handle whole kelp without pre-processing. This machine was the centerpiece of a low-tech, minimal-footprint processing line to stabilize kelp at ambient temperature, making it a viable option for deploying in rural communities across Alaska. Providing rural kelp farms with affordable stabilization technology is key to extending the shelf life of their product, and ultimately securing realistic access to markets.

To date, we have accomplished the following:

• Researched, selected, and procured all equipment and supplies to the Kodiak Seafood and Marine Science Center (KSMSC). Commissioned and tested equipment. (May 2024)
• Hosted a demonstration for 17 attendees (11 Alaskan, 3 Indigenous) at KSMSC, soliciting feedback on how the system could be optimized for deployment in rural communities (June 2024) 
• Harvested, processed, and stabilized over 5,000 lbs of kelp from Alaska Ocean Farms and sold it to Macro Oceans (July 2024)

The only significant change to our original proposal is that first-year kelp farmers from Kodiak’s Alaska Native and rural communities on the north end of Kodiak Island were unable to obtain permits in time to outplant kelp for the 2024 harvest season, and therefore were not able to sell kelp produced on their farms to Macro Oceans for this pilot. 

Our next steps are to complete the following deliverables: 

• A produced video demonstrating the VS-8 shredder and processing line
• A handbook for reproducing the processing line, including a Bill of Materials, process flow, design drawings, and Standard Operating Procedures for the line. 
• A webinar sharing the project and implications for rural processing capacity
• A final project report detailing the work completed, results, successes, failures, and lessons learned. This report will contain links to all of the previous deliverables and will be disseminated through the Sea Grant National Seaweed Hub, GreenWave’s Ocean Farming Hub, the Alaska Mariculture Research & Training Center website, and the Indigenous Aquaculture Collaborative Network.

Additional Information

We are still processing expenses from June, when the majority of our activities occurred, but we expect to come in slightly under budget. Here is our complete album of photos taken during the Demo Day.

This project involves developing kelp-based wine and spirits in addition to better understanding the market for kelp-based wine and spirits.

PROGRESS

Development and trialing of recipes for kelp fermentation was successfully completed last year.  The most promising recipe was submitted to TTB (Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau) which has approved it for commercial use.  The fermentation was repeated on a commercial level at a local distillery and produced a very smooth vodka type spirit. Trials are ongoing for gin which will use the vodka type spirit as a base.

Kelp wines that had aged for the past year were reviewed by a wine consultant who described the wine as “flavors of fish eggs, urchin, and cucumber” but did not feel it had a market as a drinking wine.  Then the consultant tried to blend it with more recognizable varietals which created mixed results.  The recommendation is to use the fermentation for spirits and not as a wine.

The dockside cruise ship marketing study is well underway which includes a taste of the kelp spirits for the respondents (very well received).  Preliminary data also demonstrates an interest by over half the respondents for lighter weight bottles such as aluminum or foil instead of glass.  Our cruise ship tourists seem to be following the national trend of preferring low alcohol drinks.  This could open a market for canned, low alcohol cocktails using kelp-based spirits.  Later this year, a national marketing study will be performed to better understand the United States market for kelp-based spirits.

STILL TO BE DONE

• Testing the finished product for heavy metals.  
• Second Alaskan distillery to produce a custom run of kelp spirits and gin
• Finish cruise ship marketing study
• Finish national marketing study
• Final recommendations from distillery consultant
• Sample layout of a kelp producing distillery

DISCUSSION

This study has a very short timeline for developing alcohol-based kelp products, but I believe proof of concept has been achieved.  One case of kelp-based spirits requires approximately twenty pounds of kelp so even a very small 3,000 case distillery could use 60,000 pounds of kelp annually. 

Spirits should be the focus of development and not drinking wines though they may find a market as a gourmet cooking wine.  Future studies using frozen versus fresh kelp would be helpful.  To date, only sugar kelp has been used and I would like to expand this study to include other varieties.

The response of testers has been unanimous that it tastes like a smooth vodka – very difficult to tell it was made with kelp.  Seagriculture 2024 is currently in discussions with Uncharted Alaska (local distillery) to host a meet and greet featuring kelp spirits.

The recipe will be released during the conference in 2025 as part of the final discussion.  I hope it will be used and refined by local distilleries to introduce the world to Alaskan kelp spirits.

Problem to be solved:

Kelp farmers in rural communities in Southeast Alaska face a number of difficulties in getting their kelp to market in an affordable and food-safe manner. It is difficult for farmers and industry members to find clear and concise information about kelp drying and stabilization methods, with many methods being unsuitable for a rural farmer’s needs.

Proposed Solution:

We research, test, and issue a set of reports outlining current drying methods for seaweed and methods that are best suited for rural farmers.

What we have accomplished/learned to date including success, challenges, any changes:

We have compiled a kelp drying report to concisely discuss the various methods being used to dry kelp around the world. The report also details various metrics of cost and how feasible that method may be for a rural kelp farmer. The report provides manufacturing source examples for the various kelp dryer tools to allow kelp farmers to inquire on their own to learn more about specific dryers. We have been able to narrow down kelp drying methods that would be feasible  for a small kelp growing operation. We also have sent kelp to be dried using screw presses made by two different manufacturers and learned that mechanical dewatering may not be a worthwhile endeavor when looking for a dried kelp end product. One challenge we have experienced is the difficulty of testing out equipment locally in Juneau and the high cost of shipping large equipment here from manufacturers. 

Next Steps:

We plan on testing other drying equipment at our facility to see if other small scale dryers would be an efficient drying method for a small operation. Electrical consumption will be recorded for various dryers. Testing will be conducted to look at potential benefits of two-stage drying, i.e. where kelp is dried to a water activity below 0.8 for shelf stability and then shipped to a processor for further drying to a final product. 

Additional Information

We don’t anticipate any challenges in completing the current scope of work. We anticipate spending nearly all of the awards fund. 

The project aims to enhance the primary stabilization of seaweed through drying, thereby addressing a significant barrier to the growth of the mariculture industry in Kodiak, Alaska. The primary outcome of this project is to design, install, and optimize a commercial dehydration process for kelp.  We seek to understand drying conditions of time and temperature, finished product specifications, lab testing of nutrient, heavy metal, moisture level, water activity, and other product stability and specification information, as well as determining operational costs and commercial feasibility.

In April of this year we successfully processed just under 20,000 pounds of Sugar and Ribbon kelp, blast freezing the material to hold under cold storage in Kodiak, AK until we are ready to dehydrate the kelp.  The commercial dehydrator for the trial is currently in storage while we wait for our partner, Kodiak Wildsource, to complete upgrades to their dock, which is the site location for the commercial dryer.  Delays in the work to the dock has been our primary challenge as we cannot begin the trial until we have a site to house the dryer.  While our timeline has been delayed the proposal remains the same with funds budgeted to cover labor and utility costs, placement of the dryer, and lab analysis of the dehydrated kelp.

We anticipate placing the dryer by December 2024.  Dehydration trials should begin no later than January 2025, with all work, labs, and analysis completed no later than March 2025.     

Additional Information

Our scope of work remains unchanged, with several modifications to the trial timeline.  We processed the kelp needed for the dehydration trial to a frozen form in April 2024.  This material is in cold storage until we can install the dryer at the end of 2024, completing the work by the end of Q1 2025. Our primary challenge to date has been waiting for dock infrastructure work to be completed at our host partner site before we can install the dryer.  The latest update from our partner in Kodiak is that this work will be completed before the end of 2024. At this point in the project we anticipate utilizing all funds awarded.

Kelp is extremely perishable and the two most common methods to extend shelf-life (drying and freezing) are very expensive at scale.  For market expansion to occur, Alaska needs a low-cost method of preserving kelp that retains its beneficial qualities. We are using a matrix of food-grade acids combined with common food preservatives to achieve a stabilized kelp that does not need refrigeration and can be stored for > 1 month at room temperature. We have tried a matrix of five different acids commonly used in the food and beverage industry, both individually and in combination with one another.  Each of these acids is commercially available and low-cost, adding << 1¢/lb of kelp stabilized.  After a period of >30 days and > 60 days we have evaluated the results and sent them off to microbial testing.  Those which performed well in the tests have been evaluated on a standard tasting panel and compared with raw kelp.   This has been done with Sugar kelp sourced from Maine (early season) as well as from Kodiak (during harvest). We have identified several preservation recipes which have resulted in shelf-stable kelp after 60 days based on microbial testing.  We are undergoing heavy metal and C;N + Iodine testing.  Also, we are evaluating each based on their taste profile.  Our final steps will be to do a total cost analysis of the various successful methods and provide instructions to produce the most successful preservation brine(s) in such a way that almost any kelp harvesting operation could successfully preserve their kelp with equipment commonly found at fishing harbors and remote communities.

Additional Information

No challenges anticipated to finish scope of work by the planned end date of the end of the year, if not sooner. Anticipated to spend all awarded funds. We believe we have found multiple ways to preserve kelp that are low-cost and easy to work with. The biggest obstacles which remain are the end-market for kelp (which must still include the shipping cost of kelp outside of Alaska and necessary to compete with wild and dried options produced elsewhere). Our project is one of several steps needed to make Alaska’s growing industry cost-competitive with the rest of the global supply.

Pending results.

Pending results.

Pending results.

Pending results.

Pending results.

Pending results.

The cost of anchoring for aquaculture farms is significant and potentially prohibitive. Helical  anchors are a high-performance, low-cost, and environmentally friendly means of anchoring  aquaculture installations in challenging environments. To further inform their use for applications  within the Alaskan mariculture industry, this project will assess the performance of helical anchors  in applications relevant to aquaculture installations. 

The objective of this project is to comprehensively evaluate helical anchor performance and suitability in supporting aquaculture operations in Alaska’s unique environmental conditions. 

We evaluated Seagrove’s Doyle Bay and Real Marina site lease areas for testing helical anchors in  the vicinity of Craig, AK and prepared for our anchor installation trials. Seagrove’s Doyle Bay site is a 127-acre tideland site lease located in Doyle Bay, on the west side of Prince of Wales, and  approximately 6 miles south of Craig, AK. This is an interior bay with subsurface substrate that  varies, including mud, silt, clay, gravel and rock. Seagrove’s Real Marina tideland lease is a 132- acre site located in Real Marina, a channel approximately 17 miles southwest of Craig, AK, and  adjacent to the south shore of Lulu Island. The substrate at Real Marina consists of silt, clay, mud  and rock.

Core sampling equipment was acquired and deployed at the Doyle Bay and Real Marina sites and  a third site at Madre de Dios, a potential operational site for Seagrove. The samples showed a  variety of substrates suitable for further operations to test helical anchor installation methods.  Anchorbot (formerly holdfast robotics) has prepared an anchor installation vehicle and operations  hardware to install anchors at these sites and to measure the anchor performance. We have travel  dates and a vessel reserved to perform the installations in September 2024.

We are collaborating with a local fishing vessel owner as a deployment vessel for the trials and  installation. We will be installing and pulling anchors in early September, after the fishing season  when deployment vessels will be available. Immediately following the installations, we will analyze  the data collected and report on viability of using these anchors relative to sediment type, location, operational lessons learned, etc. Longer-term deployment results will be updated as time passes for any anchors left in place.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

We have pushed our testing plan out by 1 quarter but anticipate finishing the project on time in Q4  2024. The anticipated operations expenditures are still as budgeted.

Pending results.

Pending results.

Oyster farming in Alaska largely relies on hatchery-produced seed that have not been optimized  for growth and survival in Alaska. 

NOAA and Pacific Hybreed researchers propose to establish an oyster breeding program, targeting the diverse ocean conditions in Alaska, that uses controlled genetic crosses and rigorous  field assessments of seed performance. 

A set of within-species hybrid oysters were produced by crossing different pedigreed genetic  lines, confirmed by molecular biological genotyping. Spawning, experimental crosses, and larval  and juvenile rearing were completed in Pacific Hybreed hatchery. In collaboration with NOAA  Fisheries scientists based in Juneau, AK, oyster seeds of 23 different families were outplanted in  replicated cages at the NOAA Little Port Walter Biological Research Station. A total of 92 cages  were deployed at the station for monitoring of animal performances and environmental  parameters. We anticipate to identify best crosses that can be repeatedly produced using existing  family lines of oysters in the broodstock repository maintained by Pacific Hybreed scientists.

We expect to collect final data points in September for this group of seeds. Data analyses to  identify best genetic lines will be subsequently conducted. All of the family lines tested will be  deposited into a breeding program based in Alaska for future research aimed at oyster breeding  and hatchery work to supply the industry with improved seed.

Additional Information

We do not anticipate significant challenges or changes to the project. Depending on the growth  rate of the oysters, field experiments may be extended for larger growth contrast between families. We anticipate spending all of the awarded funds. In the subsequent phase of research, we expect to outplant best crosses at shellfish farms in  Alaska and compared the farm yield with commercially available seeds to further refine the  selection process for seed optimized for Alaska growing conditions.

Pending results.

Producing market quality oysters requires significant labor and cost on the part of farmers in Alaska. For farmers, some of the largest labor and capital sinks are in efforts to promote growth, optimize shell morphology, and combat biofouling. 

Commercially available tumble culture gear has the potential to reduce labor and costs associated with producing marketable oysters by using wave and tidal action to tumble oysters in cages. However, transitioning to new types of gear represents a significant risk on the part of farmers. Our proposal aimed to trial tumble culture in multiple configurations on oyster farms in SE Alaska to assess whether this method could provide benefits to oyster growers in Alaska. 

As of Spring 2024, 9 cage array systems, 60 tumble cages, and over 45,000 oysters have been deployed at two of the partnering farm sites for this project (Salt Lady and Hump Island). Along with oysters, several cages in each array system have been equipped with temperature loggers and accelerometers to track temperature and water movement at each farm site. Meanwhile, additional oysters and loggers have been placed in control cages or bags to compare our tumble culture arrays to each farm site’s current culture method. In late June and July we collected subsamples of oysters from each cage to start assessing growth and morphology differences between treatments. We also downloaded data from loggers and assessed biofouling on cages in the different treatments. 

Due to logistical challenges (e.g. boat mechanical issues) we have had to make some modifications to our original plans. For example, we installed one large intertidal array at the farm in Juneau, as opposed to one small one at each site as it is easier to access. As we could not deploy gear at Kawuu Oyster Company early enough in the growing season, we have decided to use the results of this preliminary study to deploy a version 2 research farm in Hoonah in the future.

We will continue to collect data and track oyster performance in the different treatments across farms through the end of the growing season (October). We will then collate and analyze all the data and compare oyster outcomes before writing our final report and recommendations to farmers. 

Additional Information

No anticipated challenges in completing the current scope of work by the planned end date. Anticipate spending all of the awarded funds. Since applying for this grant, Ostrea Marine has become a host employer for the Tlingit and Haida Youth Employment Services program. Through this program, we are proud to have Edward Williams working with us on this project while gaining work experience in marine science and oyster farming. We also have been fortunate to have Elizabeth Roros, an undergraduate at the University of Delaware and NOAA Hollings Scholar working with us on this project for the summer. Elizabeth will be writing her senior thesis using data and analyses from this project.  

The Alaskan oyster growing season is a short season with cold winters. Blue Starr oyster company has found that getting +4mm seed early in the growing season that goes into a FLUPSY increases growth rates. Smaller 2.38mm seed does not perform anywhere close to the 4mm seed in the FLUPSY. The problem is that +4mm seed is not readily available from commercial hatcheries. So a facility with algae production is required in Alaska to be able to produce +4mm seed. 

The proposed solution is a containerized nursery system that can heat water,  that allows for algae to be produced and oyster seed to be grown to the +4mm size. 

We started with a conceptual design of 3 containers with a roof system over the top. The original design was using weller tank systems that take up a large area. The cost for making this design was getting expensive and there were some issues with keeping the tanks warm. Going through the design process and costing out equipment and material showed the weaknesses of the original design. From this we have adapted the design to be more space and energy efficient.

A major part of the design is salt water heating. A large amount of research went into finding an energy efficient way to do this. The solution was a heat pump system with heat recovery from the outflowing water from the hatchery. We also changed our system to be an all bottle oyster nursery system that saves a large amount of space. 

We currently have a final design that is space and energy efficient that prioritizes algae production to get the result of producing +4mm seed.  

The next step is to get the designs professionally drawn up and then go through in detail all equipment and materials needed for the design. All of this information will be put into a document that goes through in detail the design, production capabilities and costing for the containerized nursery.

Additional Information

The project is going along well and see no issue in completing it in the end date. We will be utilizing all the funds for the project. It has been a very interesting process designing the oyster nursery to suit the requirements of the Alaskan oyster industry in an energy efficient way. The other takeaway is that the best way to get equipment to remote locations in Alaska, could be one of the main challenges. By using a container hatchery design, the potential is to have all equipment and materials in the containers and delivered to the site, taking out a large amount of logistics.

Broodstock collections took place in Prince William Sound and Lower Cook Inlet. The efforts in PWS yielded only 20 clams after three days of effort with no success at spawning. ADFG’s Homer staff collected 100 large clams from Lower Cook Inlet which yielded two spawns (one successful). The larvae were taken through the culture stage yielding 400,000 settled larvae. They have performed well to date, and we estimate 400,000 + juveniles at approximately 1.2mm mean length. 

Broodstock Collection

PWS/Cordova Trip # I- Jeff Hetrick and Briana Murphy travelled to Cordova on June 23rd to dig with staff from the native Conservancy. The diggers (Dune Lankard, April Minnich, Brandyn Comparan) went to Bud’s Bar near Sea Otter Island Lodge. No clams (or evidence of any) were found. Kristin Kokburg from Boswell Bay had collected 9 clams on Saturday and was going to collect more but had a scheduling conflict. The clams were brought back from Cordova to Anchorage on the 24th and sent to APMI on Portage Transport and delivered to APMI On Tuesday the 25th. Two clams were broken and 1 died in transport. The clams were disinfected with 3 ppm iodophor and placed into airlift tanks. The cooler temperature was 12 C and the tank temperature 14 C in the airlift tank.

Because there were so few clams it was decided to try and hold the clams and wait for a new tide, however they began to open and so it was decided to attempt to stress spawn them by placing them in a bucket and allowing the water to heat up overnight. Of the 4 remaining clams only one was a female who released her eggs which were not fully developed. It was estimated she released 3.2 million eggs. There was minimal sperm in the water and no fertilization had taken place. The clams were discarded.

Cordova II   July 7, 2024

Sean Den Adel left the small boat harbor at 7:30 am with Mark King and Natalie Webb of the Native Village of Eyak to collect additional razor clams. Razor clams were collected from the sand bar near Rock Quarry on Hawkins Island.

Only Sean and Natalie dug clams from 8am to 11 am. The low tide was a -2,1 at 9:12.

The majority of the clams came from the western side of the sand bar. The eastern side of the area was heavily rippled with sediment from Orca Inlet. Only a few clams were collected from the northeastern part of the sand bar where the beach is flatter.

Clams were wrapped in a saltwater soaked towel and held overnight and then shipped to Anchorage on July 8 and then transported to APMI. They arrived at the hatchery at a temperature of 10 C. 16 clams were received, 9 were dead on arrival with cracked, broken shells, and 7 arrived in good condition. These 7 clams were wrapped with a rubber band to keep them closed.  The clams were exposed to 18 C water for several cycles in an attempt to get them to spawn. On Monday July 15th the remainder 4 life clams and 1 moribund clam were dissected to extract their gametes (strip spawned). The moribund clam was a female, and the rest were males. No fertilization took place, and the eggs were discarded.       

Lower Cook Inlet Trip #1 

ADFG staff from Homer, Mike Booz, volunteered to collect adults for APMI. They went across on Bottom Line Charter to Crescent River on Tuesday June 25th and returned to Ninilchik at 5 pm. APMI contracted to have them picked up and put on Alaska Bus Lines the next morning to Cooper Landing where they were picked up and transported to APMI, disinfected, and put into tanks. The cooler temperature was 8 C, and the tank temperature 14 C. 105 clams were received on 6/26 and 4 were removed because of cracked shell. 

The clams were placed in 3 silos in an airlift tank and with a wand of water at 2 gallons per minute. There were 8 additional mortalities overnight.

Sixty clams from the silos were placed on the bottom of a separate tank for spawning purposes. The clams were heated to 18 C and fed 5 liters of a mixture of Tahitian isochrysis and Chaetocerus muelleri.

At 9 a.m. the clams in one of the silos in the reserve tank began to spawn unexpectedly. The tank was drained, and 3.1 million eggs were harvested and placed into a 1200-liter conical tank. It was unknown how many clams contributed to the spawn. 

The” spawn” tank was drained at 1 p.m. to remove feces and pseudo feces and was slowly refilled with 18 C s from the wand to simulate a flooding tide. This initiated another spawn at approximately 2 pm. The clams were allowed to spawn until 4 pm when they were harvested through a 110-um screen and captured on a 35-um screen. It was estimated there were 13 million eggs. 

On day 2 Tank #1 had an estimated 1.5 million fertilized eggs. Later that day another spawn occurred in the airlift tank; they were added to tank 1.

By day 3 over 80 of the razor clam broodstock died and the remaining only last to day 5. 

All but 13,000 of the largest spawn (#2) made it to the “d stage”. It is not known what caused the high mortality as they seem to have been stuck in the trochophore stage and were not mature enough to be fertile. The combined group of spawn #1 and #3 were successfully reared throughout their larval rearing period which lasted 19 days. On day four, the population estimate was 1.5 million larvae, which decreased to 275,000 by 19. These were then split into two settling bins. These bins had a thin layer of sand for the clams to burrow down into. The bins also had a dark covering placed over them to shield them from the light. They are currently on day three of a three-week period where there will be minimal interaction aside from microalgae feeding.

The tanks are being held on Res. Bay water from the University of Alaska. The water passes through sand filters, bag filters and high intensity U.V. light. The temperature is 14 C mixed with ambient and heated or “processed” water. 

There are no expected changes to the budget, and the project is anticipated to complete in the proposed timeline. 

The beach surveys took place on August 28th, August 31st, and September 1st at three beaches in  the Chugach Region. These sites were selected due to their historical significance as shellfish  harvest locations and were previously surveyed in the 1990s with funding from the Exxon Valdez Oil Spill Project 97-131. The first beach that was surveyed is located at a site adjacent to the  Village of Tatitlek, while the other two beaches (Passage Island and Beyond Dick’s) are located  near both the Native Village of Nanwalek and the Native Village of Port Graham. Researchers  employed systematic random quadrat sampling to quantify the number of bivalve species and their  population at each site. Sediment samples were taken to assess habitat suitability, and GPS  coordinates were recorded at each quadrant and sediment sample to enable precise georeferencing and mapping. These data will enable researchers to create population density and habitat maps using GIS software. Currently, Alutiiq Pride Marine Institute and the Pacific Shellfish Institute are finalizing the density and habitat suitability mapping for all three sites. 

Beach Surveys 

Tatitlek, August 28th, 2023: Jeff Hetrick, Andy Suhrbier, and Annette Jarosz traveled to Tatitlek  to survey the local beach for shellfish densities and habitat suitability. At the designated beach,  an area of 95,600 ft2 was defined by placing boarder flags. This area encompassed a -2 and +2  tide. Once the area was defined, researchers used a systematic random design to create the grid  for quadrat and sediment sampling. A total of 23 quadrats were placed and sampled. Due to poor  weather conditions, the drone was not able to capture pictures of the study area.  

Beyond Dick’s Beach, August 31st, 2023: Jeff Hetrick, Andy Suhrbier, Briana Murphy, Annette  Jarosz, and two tribal members traveled from Port Graham to Beyond Dick’s beach. An area of  308,000 ft2 was defined using flags. This area encompassed a -2 and +2 tide. Once the area was  defined, researchers used a systematic random design to create the grid for quadrat and sediment sampling. A total of 32 quadrats were placed and sampled. Due to poor weather conditions, the  drone was not able to capture pictures of the sample area on the 31st but researchers were able to  travel back to the beach on September 1st and use the drone to photograph the survey site. 

Passage Island, September 1st, 2023: Jeff Hetrick, Andy Suhrbier, Annette Jarosz, and a tribal   member traveled from Port Graham to a beach on Passage Island. An area of 64,000 ft2 was  defined using flags. This area encompassed a -2 and +2 tide. Once the area was defined,  researchers used a systematic random design to create the grid for quadrat and sediment  sampling. A total of 25 quadrats were placed and sampled. The weather conditions allowed for  the use of the drone to capture pictures of the study site.

Preliminary Results from Quadrat Samples:

See photo slides

Preliminary Results from GIS Mapping

With the support of Andy Suhrbier, APMI staff are continuing to use the results from the beach  surveys to create population density maps for each bivalve species for all three study areas.  Figures 9 and 10 are examples of what the density maps look like. These maps can be provided  to tribes to be used as a tool for conservation and aid in shellfish harvesting.

See photo slides

Pending results.