NOAA and the State of Alaska released the Summary Report for the Alaska Aquaculture Opportunity Area Spatial Planning Workshops.
The first workshop took place on February 26, 2024, in Anchorage. The second was held on March 26 and 27, 2024, in Juneau.
The workshops fostered extensive information sharing and discussion of the ongoing Aquaculture Opportunity Area identification process in Alaska state waters. Moreover, each event created an opportunity for a wide range of participants to inform future planning efforts. The workshop outcomes synthesized in this report will assist Alaska Natives, coastal managers, local communities, industry, and other organizations with planning for future aquaculture development in Alaska.
The workshops created a collaborative environment where participants could:
- Learn about NOAA’s spatial planning approach and discuss available spatial data within Alaska Aquaculture Opportunity Area study areas
- Document data gaps under six ocean sectors, and help identify points of contact for additional data
- Increase transparency, local capacity, and resources to support planning
- Further develop an engaged community to inform NOAA’s Aquaculture Opportunity Area identification process in Alaska state waters
More than 140 people attended the workshops. Participants included Alaska Native community members, fishermen, aquaculture industry representatives, environmental organizations, scientists, subject matter experts, and state and federal agency personnel.
Participants explored six ocean sectors:
- Boundaries
- Oceanographic and Hydrographic data
- Natural resources
- Cultural and social resources
- Fisheries
- Industry and navigation
The Natural Resources and Cultural and Social Resources sectors stimulated the most discussion at each event.
The workshops identified a wide range of data leads and gaps across each ocean sector explored. Detailed information for each sector is included in the report as well as data leads, gaps, and additional questions, concerns and insights put forward by participants.
“The insights gained through these workshops have allowed NOAA to focus engagement and follow up on data leads. We have also begun to fill in the data gaps for the Alaska Aquaculture Opportunity Area spatial analysis. We would like to thank the workshop participants for the valuable information and perspectives provided, and for making this a better product for Alaska,” said Alicia Bishop, Alaska Regional Aquaculture Coordinator, NOAA Fisheries.
NOAA will be releasing the draft Aquaculture Opportunity Area spatial analysis results for public comment in early 2025.
The workshop report was developed by:
- NOAA Fisheries
- NOAA National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science
- Alaska Department of Natural Resources
- Alaska Department of Fish & Game
- Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation
