NOAA weighs 77 Gulf of Alaska sites for future kelp and shellfish farms

Seventy-seven stretches of coastal water in the Gulf of Alaska, covering more than 13,000 acres, could someday host commercial kelp and shellfish farms under a federal planning effort. Fifty-three are in Southeast Alaska, nine in Southcentral and 15 in Southwest.

The sites range from about 50 to 2,000 acres each. They come from an atlas NOAA's National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science published in February, the result of mapping work that began in 2023 in partnership with the state. Only seaweed and shellfish are under consideration, because state law bans fish farming.

Being on the map does not approve anything. NOAA is now doing one environmental review covering all 77 sites, and it could end up designating some, all or none of them. Anyone who wants to start a farm would still need state and federal leases and permits. A draft of the review is expected in spring 2027.

Fishermen are watching. The Alaska Longline Fishermen's Association and the Southeast Alaska Fishermen's Alliance told NOAA that farm sites must account for conflicts with fishing, boat traffic and habitat. Research by NOAA's Alaska Fisheries Science Center and Sea Quester Farms found no major difference in fish and invertebrate life between Southeast Alaska kelp farm sites and similar spots without farms.

Some fishing families see farming as a fit. Adelia Myrick, co-owner of Alaska Sea Greens on Kodiak Island, told NOAA their boats, their skill with lines and knots and their fishing know-how all carry over to kelp. "Salmon brought us to this corner of the world," she said.

NOAA took 20 comments during the review's first public comment period, which ended May 28. The Central Council of the Tlingit and Haida Indian Tribes of Alaska has since joined six state and federal agencies in helping write the review.