January 25, 2022 — Kelp mariculture is expanding in Alaska and around the world. Kelp farms have been established in Kodiak and Southeast Alaska for a few years, but it’s a brand new industry to Prince William Sound and Kachemak Bay.
The crew at the Alutiiq Pride Marine Institute in Seward has hatched a kelp nursery to support local farmers plant seeds in the sea.
Kelp is extremely versatile and used in a variety of products, including food, pharmaceuticals, cosmetics and biofuel, according to the institute’s Science Director Maile Branson.
“Kelp is also highly productive and sequesters large concentrations of carbon, counteracting localized ocean acidification,” she added. “Therefore, in a regenerative ocean farming system, kelp can benefit both the farmer and numerous marine species.”