January 24, 2017 — Gov. Bill Walker signed an administrative order in early 2015, creating a mariculture task force in hopes of boosting aquatic farming and fisheries. The task force has been examining all areas of the mariculture industry and will present a comprehensive plan to Walker in 2018.
The 11-member panel has split its resources into five advisory committees over the past year.
Among the many issues the committees have taken on are investment, infrastructure, regulatory, environmental and marketing.
Task force member Heather McCarty explained that the committees’ recommendations will be presented to Walker in spring 2018.
“The advisory committees have some of the task force on them, but they also have people from outside the task force, people who have specialties in various areas,” she said. “We’ve tried to bring in communities, travel groups, academia (and) regulatory groups.”
She said some pieces of the plan are already in action such as SB 172 and HB 300. Both are shellfish hatchery bills that were proposed last year and would allow Alaskans to establish nonprofit shellfish hatcheries.