Southeast Alaska mariculture: geoduck divers create new industry.

• Author: Colby, Nicole A. Bonham
• Position: FISHERIES

After a near 14-year evolution of dogged efforts by a handful of Southeastern divers to create a farmed-geoduck industry in Alaska, last year proved particularly significant for the venture. It marked the first occasion in Alaska history that geoducks--giant clams indigenous to the chilly waters of Washington state, British Columbia and the Panhandle--were grown to maturity on local farms, then harvested and shipped from the state to Asian markets.

According to Kurtis R. Morin, the Ward Cove-based entrepreneur and long-time impetus behind the concept of developing a farmed-geoduck niche in the 49th state, the year ahead may prove to be the best yet for the intrepid group of commercial divers who make their living at the bottom of the sea.

TURBULENT WATERS

Just like the extreme ebb and flow of the waters of the island archipelago where the divers farm their clams, the chronology of the industry itself in Alaska has not been smooth. First, there was the challenge of simply working with State regulators to develop from scratch a permit system for such a geoduck-mariculture industry. That started at the most basic level: addressing the concerns and requirements of a multitude of State and federal agencies to develop a coherent application, permit and regulation process.

Once that milestone was met, there was conflict from the existing commercial dive-harvest fishery regarding impact to wild-stock geoducks. The primary conflict--how to reconcile any harvest of wild-stock clams from the permitted farmed sites--was somewhat resolved through litigation and after the State opened the farmed sites to multiple, initial commercial harvests. Through amended regulations, the State then developed a system for addressing subsequent wild stock that may be collected in farmed harvest returns.

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However, according to Morin and others, the greatest challenge ahead for those few remaining divers who have lasted the decade-long development period, is that of availability of seed. In the end, it is a logical challenge of finding sufficient amounts of clam seed that will determine the success of this fledging, mariculture niche.

SEED SOWING

As Alaska geoduck farmers are prohibited from importing seed from outside the state, a single source--the Alutiiq Pride Shellfish Hatchery in Seward currently supplies all geoduck seed. Due to lack of availability from the single source, Morin did not have seed to plant in 2009, and only some 1,500 count...