NOAA atlas flags 77 possible seaweed and shellfish farm zones in Gulf of Alaska waters

Seventy-seven stretches of Gulf of Alaska state waters, covering more than 13,000 acres, are now mapped as possible sites for commercial seaweed and shellfish farms. NOAA's National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science published the Aquaculture Opportunity Area Atlas for the Gulf of Alaska in February 2026. The atlas is not a preapproval: applicants still face state and federal leasing and permitting before any farm goes in.

NOAA's separate national search for the next round of opportunity areas took public comment through Sept. 13. The Alaska effort began June 1, 2023, in partnership with the State of Alaska, making Alaska the third region NOAA has pursued after Southern California and the Gulf of America. State law bars finfish farming, so only shellfish and seaweed are under consideration here.

The atlas feeds a Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement. NOAA held scoping from April 13 to May 28, 2026, took 20 written and verbal submissions, and released a summary report addressing potential impacts, alternatives, and the role of tribal consultation and Indigenous knowledge. The Central Council of Tlingit and Haida Indian Tribes of Alaska has joined as a cooperating agency. The draft statement is expected in spring 2027, and every mapped option still depends on environmental review, public engagement, and community and Indigenous input.

Fishing and marine-resource users say siting must account for conflicts with fisheries, navigation and habitat. Related research from the Alaska Fisheries Science Center and Sea Quester Farms found no major difference between fish and invertebrates at Southeast Alaska kelp farm sites and similar locations without farms. Adelia Myrick, co-owner of Alaska Sea Greens on Kodiak Island, told NOAA: "Salmon brought us to this corner of the world. I think it’s pretty amazing that our fishing skills, our boats, our knowledge of lines and knots, all transfer to kelp farming!"