PROGRAM FOR THE INTEGRATION OF MACROALGAE MARICULTURE PRODUCTION INTO PREEXISTING SALMON AQUACULTURE OPERATIONS IN PRINCE WILLIAM SOUND, ALASKA

There is significant interest in macroalgae aquaculture in Alaska, where such production promises to provide industry with products for use as food items, animal feed, organic fertilizer, biofuels, cosmetics, plastic alternatives and other sustainable products. Macroalgae production also shows promise for mitigating against the negative impacts of ocean acidification (OA) due to its ability to absorb carbon dioxide. Because macroalgae also absorbs nutrients, co-cultivation of macroalgae alongside other cultured marine species (such as finfish and shellfish) can help to recycle waste emanating from cultured production while further buffering these organisms from the corrosive effects of OA. Research has shown that OA can have negative impacts on juvenile pink salmon (Oncorhynchus gorbuscha) following early seawater entry, including significant alterations in olfactory responses such as anti-predator and homing behavior. Further, research has also shown that ocean waters receiving significant glacial melt - as is the case for much of Prince William Sound (PWS) - are more susceptible to OA. As PWS glaciers continue to melt at an accelerated and unprecedented rate, previous projections for the Sound's trend towards an increasingly acidic state may prove to be conservative, with disastrous implications for local fishery resources, and especially for the area's pink salmon hatchery programs.

The presentation seeks to further the discussion surrounding potential opportunities for kelp mariculture production in conjunction with preexisting PWS salmon aquaculture operations in such a manner that will benefit the area's existing salmon fisheries while strengthening associated and dependent industries and communities through diversification of available product forms. The presentation will describe the potential for a mutually beneficial relationship between the area's commercial fishing industry and Alaska Native entities through the development of a robust and sustainable local mariculture industry, with an initial focus on large-scale production of macroalgae in the vicinity of salmon hatchery saltwater netpen rearing operations. The presenter asserts that macroalgae production in concert with PWS salmon hatchery production provides the area's fishery stakeholders with a rare win-win scenario where large-scale macroalgae production provides a valuable economic incentive while also providing an ecological service for the benefit of all fishery resources in the area, including both wild and hatchery salmon in PWS.