Seaweed genetics workshop draws scientists from across the US

The Alaska Seaweed Genetics Workshop was recently held in Juneau to address information needs for preserving genetic diversity of seaweed as the kelp mariculture industry grows. Sponsored by Alaska Sea Grant and Alaska Fisheries Development Foundation with funding support from the Exxon Valdez Oil Spill Trustee Council’s Mariculture Research and Restoration Consortium, the workshop brought together geneticists to synthesize the state of knowledge and inform policies that regulate seaweed broodstock used to seed farms.

“Having so many brilliant minds from around the country all in one room connecting and sharing ideas [on seaweed] was invaluable,” Jessica Whitney remarked on the gathering. Whitney is a research professional at the University of Alaska Fairbanks who works with the Alaska Mariculture Research and Training Center.

The conference included agency scientists, genetics researchers, and university students. Presentations examined seaweed genetics around the country, on topics including population genetics of kelp, selective kelp breeding, gametophyte cultivation and seedbanking, and heat stress tolerance of kelps in changing oceans. Discussions explored how this information may be applied in Alaska.

“This was very much needed going forward if we all want to make progress in this area. This was a highly focused workshop,” reflected one participant.

Participants also had opportunities for field trips. Tamsen Peeples, a UAF graduate student and founder of the Alaska kelp hatchery Kora and Kombu, brought guests through her hatchery at the UAF College of Fisheries and Ocean Sciences in Juneau. Similarly, the mariculture research lead at NOAA’s Alaska Fisheries Science Center, Jordan Hollarsmith, provided a tour of the AFSC oyster hatchery.

Participants visited Sea Quester Farms aboard a boat from Allen Marine Tours to watch founder Jonny Antoni harvest bull and sugar kelp, learn about operations from the farm’s executive manager, Olivia Duner, and sample the product.

“I had an amazing time at the workshop and took away a lot of valuable information, which has only furthered my interest in seaweed genetics,” University of Alaska Anchorage Prince William Sound College student Luke Stein remarked. Stein is attending law school at the University of Texas Austin in the fall and is interested in pursuing maritime law and policy related to marine resources.

Research indicates that genetic diversity of seaweed has been significantly reduced as a result of excessive exploitation of wild habitat combined with vegetative farm expansion. As a precaution to protect genetic diversity in seaweed populations, the Alaska Department of Fish and Game created the 50–50 Rule for the State of Alaska. This regulation mandates that collected sorus tissue for mariculture operations must be collected from more than 50 parent individuals from within 50 kilometers of the outplanting site. Fifty kilometers is small when Alaska has roughly 76,000 kilometers of coastline.

With these rules in place and only a few kelp hatcheries in the state, it can be temporally and economically costly to grow seaweed in Alaska. Alaska has received significant funding to grow from a $1 million to a $100 million industry in the next 20 years. The ideas exchanged during the workshop will help researchers, farmers, and regulators address these important details while supporting the growing industry. 

More information about the 50–50 rule for cultivation of seaweeds and other aquatic plants in Alaska is available at the ADF&G literature review on implementation (PDF).