Mariculture Initiatives
In 2022, the Alaska Legislature provided a one-time research and workforce development appropriation of $7 million to the University of Alaska to support the state’s burgeoning mariculture industry. The Alaska Blue Economy Center was one of several entities to receive funding through this appropriation, along with , the TVCollege of Fisheries and Ocean Sciences, the University of Alaska Southeast ), and the at the University of Alaska Anchorage.
Through this funding, ABEC has worked to develop organizational and institutional capacity for mariculture in Alaska. ABEC has implemented this strategy through the facilitation of workshops and conferences, the deployment of mariculture planning grants, and, most notably, the development and implementation of the Mariculture Innovation Research Fund.
During this same time frame, ABEC was among several recipients of workforce development-related funding through the . Led by Southeast Conference, AMC is a coalition that includes members of Alaska’s mariculture industry, tribal organizations, regulatory agencies, economic development districts, trade organizations, UA, and others. ABEC’s work in this space has been in close collaboration with the TV Center for Innovation, Commercialization, and Entrepreneurship (ICE).
In May 2023, ABEC released a proposal for its Mariculture Innovation Research Fund, supporting applied research projects that pair UA researchers with mariculture industry partners to solve industry-based challenges. ABEC convened a panel of academic, community and industry subject-matter experts to select projects. The process resulted in six funded projects exploring the integration of macroalgae mariculture into salmon hatchery operations, developing innovations in commercial bull kelp farming, investigating innovations in macroalgae processing, and developing techniques to improve shellfish aquaculture. These projects, which were allocated $798,000, have engaged 13 UA faculty (from UAA, TV, and UAS) and staff, 32 UA students, and 23 industry partners across the state.
Read more in this .
View a video about the project .
The Grant Technical Assistance Program was a comprehensive, multi-year initiative begun in 2023 to build the grant readiness and competitiveness of Alaska-based organizations, with a particular focus on the marine (mariculture) and energy sectors. Funded by the Alaska Blue Economy Center at the University of Alaska Fairbanks, it was administered by Grant Management Associates, a grant consulting firm with experience in grant development and capacity building for public, private, and nonprofit clients.
Read more in this .
The City of Valdez has partnered with the Alaska Blue Economy Center to support the city’s interests in mariculture development and the broader blue economy.
Notable accomplishments include supporting the development of the Alaska Mariculture
Cluster, which benefitted greatly from the city’s provision of a $6 million match
through the for use in mariculture-related activities. ABEC was also successful in integrating
Valdez into the $20 million, 5-year National Science Foundation “” project. Find more information at the city’s mariculture project , and read more in their .
Prominent partners in Valdez include , and its , and the (T3 Alaska) program, which has an established site at Valdez High School.
Learn more about the PWSC MNRT Program in this video: