The Alaskan mariculture industry was granted $149 million in federal aid in the last fiscal year to help develop the state’s rapidly growing market for kelp. Industry officials are looking at into the Pacific Ocean for inspiration on how to keep Alaska’s Kelp industry expanding.
Nick Mangini works as a kelp grower and director of mariculture at the Southwest Alaska Municipal Conference, one of the groups in charge of disbursing the funds. The man was in South Korea earlier this month visiting kelp farms as well as processing facilities. Asian countries, including South Korea – make up the majority of the world’s market for kelp.
“Every time I attend an event or some other place in which it’s all about mariculture and business people, whether it be industry or farmers you get the buzz, and everyone gets exuberant,” said Mangini. “And that’s what keeps us going today.”
Mangini and his team look to other countries such as South Korea for inspiration as Alaska is able to overcome many of the obstacles that have been documented in its burgeoning industry. First, the state is facing the largest processing gap with regard to Kelp. That’s where Mangini believes that the South Korean farmers have a huge advantage.
“They bring the kelp in and lay it out on the field and let it dry dry. We do not have the climate that could allow this number one,” he said. “And regulations from the FDA (Food and Drug Administration)will be far too strict to allow something like that to occur.”
Mangini mentioned that numerous kelp farms within South Korea also use seaweed and shellfish cultivation to boost their harvest.
“So about 70% of this kind of kelp which is closest to the one I cultivate comes directly from an agricultural farm and then goes directly into the abalone culture to provide abalone with food all throughout the year,” he said.
It was a South Korea visit was sponsored by the World Wildlife Fund and included other processors and farmers of kelp who came from North America and Europe. Mangini said that meeting with them was as instructive as meeting the group’s South Korean hosts.
“Possibilities to collaborate in the future with those who are from both those from the East Coast and the West Coast and individuals who are from Canada and Alaska and even Europe. Simply looking at the various kinds of products, species and processes used by all was an important component of this for us all.”
Mangini is one of Alaska’s earliest cultivators of kelp. He submitted his application to purchase a piece of land on Near Island – right near Kodiak’s City of Kodiak in 2016. He harvesting his first crop following year. Two other farmers started their own crops in the same year.
It’s been growing since when and there are currently 82 mariculture farms in the state according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration And just last the year Alaska harvesters of kelp harvested 650,000 pounds seaweed.
It’s not even a fraction of what’s available in comparison to the production of South Korea. However, Mangini believes Alaska’s mariculture industry is poised to become a world leader in terms of volume — similar to the finfish fishing industry in Alaska. Mangini said a further move is to get commercial fishermen to recognize the value of this industry as a source for income during fishing season.
“I will just wish that we could collaborate and that they consider this an opportunity to utilize their boats or, if they want to having farm farms of their own in the near future,” he said.
Mangini stated that with federal money being poured into the state, there’s significant momentum for the state’s industry. He hopes the lessons from the trip can help alleviate some of the problems.
