Oyster farmers learn the trade at Prince of Wales workshop

For three days in September, the future of Alaskan oyster farming got to learn some lessons from its present.

The Alaska Sea Grant Oyster Farming Operations Workshop gave six farmers in the early stages of their operations the opportunity to interact with some of the most experienced mariculturists in the state. Held on Prince of Wales Island, the event enabled the new farmers to learn some of the nuances of farming, both in the classroom and through visits to operating farms across the island. 

“We targeted this course to people who had already done quite a bit of research and taken steps towards starting shellfish farms,” said Alaska Sea Grant shellfish mariculture specialist James Crimp, who organized and co-led the workshop with Arron Jones, Alaska Sea Grant mariculture trainer and technician. ”So, we were able to dive into deeper detail on topics like farm design, husbandry gear, anchoring systems, and sorting equipment.”

Classroom sessions at the event covered the major phases of farming: hatchery and nursery production, grow-out, and sales and marketing. In between sessions, participants visited farms across the island for hands-on learning, examining a variety of cultivation methods and getting firsthand advice from local farmers. At Blue Starr Oysters, the group toured the farm’s floating upweller system as well as its new FlipFarm setup, an increasingly popular semi-automated cultivation system. They explored Tommasso Shellfish’s combination of floating surface gear and raft-based suspended culture, and visited SeaGrove Oysters to examine their OysterGro cultivation system. 

“The chance to learn first-hand from farmers and get my questions answered was super-valuable as I make decisions about purchasing grow-out gear and sorting equipment,” noted one participant.

The class met also with the owner of Alaska Gold Oysters, and visited the Alaska Oyster Cooperative to learn about the organization’s vision for oyster farming in the region. Tommasso Shellfish’s owners delivered a lesson in oyster quality and shucking, held in conjunction with a potluck dinner featuring regional dishes.

Class sessions played an important role in the workshop. Discussions covered seed supply options, including oyster life stages, the national hatchery landscape, and strategies for bolstering seed security; management tools for tracking seed batches, growth rates, and mortality; and biosecurity. Classes also covered anchoring systems and sorting processes, as well as marketing strategies, including potential connections with tourism.

The event helped to galvanize the farmers’ plans to grow their operations and strengthened their networks through productive interactions with Alaska Sea Grant’s staff, the farms they visited, and each other.

More information on Alaska Sea Grant’s support for mariculture, including the upcoming Mariculture Conference of Alaska, is available online.