September 29, 2025 — The NOAA Fisheries Alaska Regional Office has released the 2025 Aquaculture Accomplishments Report. It highlights the growth of the aquaculture industry in Alaska and provides details about local, state, and federal efforts aimed at supporting this important maritime industry.
NOAA’s Aquaculture Program supports cutting-edge science and policies to foster sustainable domestic aquaculture growth. Currently, at least 70 percent of the seafood Americans eat comes from other countries, and over half of that is farm-raised. Produced responsibly, as it is here in the United States, aquaculture is one of the most resource-efficient ways of making healthy food, and it can help reduce reliance on imports, providing a more stable and secure seafood supply. By expanding domestic aquaculture in harmony with wild-capture fisheries, NOAA helps create jobs, support coastal communities, and ensure healthy, home-grown seafood for American families.
Alaska’s aquaculture industry consists of seaweed and shellfish farming. Oysters, mussels, sugar kelp, ribbon kelp, and bull kelp are the primary species grown in the state. The NOAA Fisheries Alaska Aquaculture Program has strategically aligned our annual activities to support the Executive Order on Promoting American Seafood Competitiveness and Economic Growth, and NOAA’s 2023-2028 Aquaculture Strategic Plan. The plan lays out a framework to support a thriving, resilient, and robust U.S. aquaculture industry as part of a resilient seafood sector. This effort also supports the Executive Order on Restoring American Seafood Competitiveness.