Melissa Good

Focus

Mariculture

Education

• M.S. Marine Biology. 2010. University of Alaska Fairbanks
• B.S. (Honors) Natural Resource Management. 2008. University of Alaska Fairbanks

Experience

Melissa Good is a mariculture specialist with Alaska Sea Grant at the University of Alaska Fairbanks, based in Kodiak. With a master’s degree in marine biology and over a decade of experience, she leads initiatives to advance Alaska’s mariculture industry, including her work with the National Seaweed Hub and the Alaska Mariculture Research and Training Center.

Recent efforts have included developing a farm-to-table program for the benefit of producers, processors, consumers, and communities along the entire value chain. Recent work has focused on developing mariculture-related educational materials and opportunities, creating a workforce development program to meet the emerging mariculture industry needs, and conducting market assessments to identify technology and equipment used globally in primary processing and manufacturing of large volumes of seaweed. As the Kodiak Seafood and Marine Science Center coordinator, Good has worked towards increasing the value of Alaska’s fishing industry by building staff and equipment capacity in seafood research and facility development, expanding efforts in new methods to harvest, preserve, process, and package Alaska’s rich ocean bounty.

Recent presentations, conferences and workshops

• Instructor: Introductory Seaweed Cultivation and Processing workshop. Kodiak, Alaska. June 26, 202. Attendees: 9.
• Good, M. and Mangini, N. 2024. Navigating Challenges and Fostering Growth in Alaska’s Mariculture Industry. Seagriculture EU 2024. Torshavn, Faroe Islands. June 19, 2024. Attendees: 200.
• Host: Seaweed Stabilization Demonstration. Alaska Sea Grant and Greenwave. May 21, 2024. Kodiak, Alaska. Attendees: 19.
• Good, M. 2024. Mariculture Industry in Alaska. Scottached Association for Marine Sciences, Oban, Scotland. May 8, 2024. Attendees: 20.
• Co-Host: Scottish Seaweed Industry Knowledge Exchange. Alaska Sea Grant and Connecticut Sea Grant. May 5-12, 2024. Scotland. Attendees: 6
• Host: Seaweed Genetics Workshop. April 1-2, 2024.  Juneau, Alaska. Attendees: 58.
• Host: Oyster Hatchery Training. Alaska Sea Grant, University of Alaska Southeast, OceansAlaska. Ketchikan, Alaska. March 26-28, 2024. Attendees: 12.
• Good, M. 2024. Alaska’s Mariculture Workforce Development Plan. Mariculture Conference of Alaska. February 26-29, 2023. Anchorage, Alaska. Attendees: 241.
• Lead Host: Mariculture Conference of Alaska. February 26-29, 2023. Anchorage, Alaska. Attendees: 241.
• Concepcion, A. Good, M. 2024. Seaweed Farming in the United States. Aquaculture America 2024. February 21, 2024. San Antonio, Texas. Attendees: 60.
• Concepcion, A. Good, M. 2023. Aquaculture America 2023 Macroalgae Conference Session Co-Host. Aquaculture America 2024. February 21, 2024. San Antonio, Texas. Attendees: 60.

Peer-reviewed publications

Dawn M. Kotowicz, Anoushka Concepcion, Gabriella Bradt, Meg Chadsey, Antionette Clemetson, Melissa Good, Joshua Reitsma, Jaclyn Robidoux. 2024. Identifying challenges of the US domestic seaweed aquaculture industry. Aquaculture, Volume 593, 2024, 741314, ISSN 0044-8486. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.aquaculture.2024.741314.

Umanzor, S., Good, M., Bobrycki, T., Kim, J. K., Yarish, C. 2022. Building Community Capacity in the Determination of Nutrient Removal through Kelp Farming. World Aquaculture Vol 53, No 3. September 2022.

Recently funded projects

• State of Alaska. FY23 State Economic Development Mariculture R&D. 2023–2026. $2,000,000. PI Eckert.
• EDA Build Back Better. Alaska Mariculture Cluster. 2022–2026. $4,693,212. PI Eckert.
• Exxon Valdez Oil Spill Trustee Council. Mariculture ReCon. 2021–2031. $3,046,131. PI Eckert.
• Exxon Valdez Oil Spill Trustee Council. Community Organized Restoration and Learning [CORaL] Network. 2021–2025. $1,684,286. PI Eckert.
• NOAA Sea Grant Advanced Aquaculture Collaborative Programs. 2023–2025. Nurturing the Successful Growth and Maturation of a Domestic Seaweed Aquaculture Industry. $45,314. PI Good.
• NOAA Sea Grant Advanced Aquaculture Collaborative Programs. 2023–2025. West Coast Aquaculture Collaborative. $40,758. PI Good.
• NOAA Sea Grant Addressing Economic and Market Needs of the US Aquaculture Industry. 2021–2024. Business and Economic Planning for Seaweed Aquaculture Systems in the United States. $129,674. PI Fong.

Professional societies and affiliations

• Alaska Marine Safety Education Association
• Phycological Society
• Professional Association of Dive Instructors
• Alaska Mariculture Alliance
• US Aquaculture Society
• World Aquaculture Association
• World Aquaculture Society
• Alaska Mariculture Research and Training Center
• Seaweed Food Safety Working Group
• Bull Kelp Cultivation Working Group
• National Seaweed Hub
• West Coast Aquaculture Collaborative
• Safe Seaweed Collation Board Alternate

Hobbies

Exploring the beautiful world around us both above and below the tide and sharing that with others.