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Second Edition of “Field Guide to Seaweeds of Alaska” Released

January 22, 2025

Scientists release the second edition of “Field Guide to Seaweeds of Alaska” with new taxonomic information, species descriptions, and photographic identification.

View of brown seaweed. A plethora of seaweeds in the Alaskan intertidal. Credit: NOAA Fisheries/Mandy Lindeberg.

Our understanding of the natural world is never static and always growing. NOAA Fisheries, University of British Columbia scientists, and Alaska Sea Grant have produced a second edition of the award-winning Field Guide to Seaweeds of Alaska. The updated field guide includes photos and descriptions of more than 100 common seaweeds found in Alaska, including seagrasses and common marine lichens. 

More than one third of the guide contains new content. 

  • 19 new seaweed taxa 
  • 32 species have updated scientific names
  • More than 100 new images incorporated 

These changes ensure the guide remains a current and valuable resource.

Cover of Seaweeds of Alaska.
Front cover of the Field Guide to Seaweeds of Alaska. Credit: Alaska Sea Grant.

What’s New in the Second Edition?

We’ve learned quite a lot since the last printing of this field identification guide 10 years ago. We’ve applied new genetic techniques to seaweed classification and identified new species.  

“Simply doing a reprint would not have made sense with the many changes in seaweed classification,” said Mandy Lindeberg, author, Alaska Fisheries Science Center biologist and Program Lead, Gulf Watch Alaska

Why the changes? There have been many advances in the classification or taxonomy of seaweeds. The most compelling change in seaweed taxonomy has been the widespread adoption of molecular techniques like DNA sequencing. This has significantly refined species identification and revealed previously unknown genetic diversity within seaweed groups. As a result, scientists now have a better understanding of evolutionary relationships. In some cases, they have reclassified species based on genetic data rather than just on their structure or form. 

Ribbon kelp over water.
In Alaska, mariculture is the production, enhancement, and utilization of marine shellfish and aquatic plants. Farming seaweed such as ribbon kelp, pictured above, often consists of anchored lines seeded with young seaweed, grown near the surface of the ocean. Credit: NOAA Fisheries/Angela Korabik.

Another big reason for producing a second edition has been to meet the needs of a growing industry for shellfish and seaweed mariculture in Alaska. 

“Interest in the guide has surged since the last printing, especially from folks in the mariculture industry,” Lindeberg points out. “Seaweed farming is expanding quickly in Alaska and is expected to continue growing in the coming decades.”

According to NOAA’s Office of Aquaculture, farmers in Alaska produced more than 112,000 pounds of sugar, ribbon, and bull kelp in 2019. That’s a 200 percent increase over the state’s first commercial harvest in 2017. Growers are eagerly looking at other commercially viable species to farm in Alaska.

A Wealth of New Information

In the world of books, field identification guides have their own unique design and purpose. They contain technical information that users need to navigate quickly to find and identify what they are looking for. In developing a seaweed field guide, the authors have provided a huge amount of scientific information in an easily understandable and organized way. 

Three images of seaweed.
This field guide is organized into the three main seaweed color groups (green, brown, and red) with color coded species pages. Credit: NOAA Fisheries/Mandy Lindeberg.

“We color coded species pages and divided them into the three main seaweed groups—green, brown, and red—and then by morphological groupings. This allows the user to quickly narrow down their search (e.g., a green blade) and not get frustrated endlessly flipping through all the pages,” added Lindeberg.

Authors designed species pages that have an intuitive layout incorporating a combination of information and images. The pages provide detail on taxonomy, distribution, morphology, life history, and the habitats where species are commonly found. Complementing the written information are digital scans of dried specimens and photos of seaweeds in their natural habitat to help with identification.

Pages from the seaweed field guide.
Species pages include both digital images of herbarium pressings and photographs of seaweeds in their natural habitat to help with identification. Shown here is Dragon kelp. Credit: NOAA Fisheries/Mandy Lindeberg.

Second Edition Highlights

There are approximately 550 species of seaweeds known to occur in Alaska. Some are only found in Alaska, and more are being discovered as its extensive and remote coastline is explored. This field guide contains mainly common Alaskan seaweeds but a few are worth highlighting.

In 2006, Lindeberg discovered a new genus and species of kelp, known as the golden V kelp from the Aleutian Islands. This kelp is only found in Alaska and appropriately highlighted on the cover of the field guide. 

Pages from seaweed field guide.
From left to right: red seaweeds Long laver, Purple pencils, an undescribed Palmaria, and the brown alga, Spaghetti kelp.

The second edition includes a newly described species, a red seaweed called Long laver. This species belongs to the group of seaweeds known as Lavers, commonly used for subsistence (i.e., customary and traditional uses) in Alaska.

Also included in the guide is an undescribed species of red seaweed. Curiously, the uncommon Spaghetti kelp, really does look like its namesake, spaghetti! You can discover all shapes and forms of seaweed in this guide.

Last updated by Alaska Fisheries Science Center on January 27, 2025