We need to jumpstart a region-wide, and eventually state-wide, Alaska Restorative Kelp Initiative that brings Native tribal members, women, youth and fishermen together to help restore the ocean and to learn how to grow traditional sea vegetables and to help us get this new ocean industry off the ground. Besides, we don't have to build high-speed boats that burn enormous amounts of fossil fuels chasing kelp around, and we don’t have to feed it, water it, or fertilize it–just care for it.
FOOD FROM THE SEA REGENERATIVE PRACTICES OF TENDING AND CULTIVATING MARINE ORGANISMS FOR FOOD ENHANCE SURROUNDING ECOSYSTEMS AND FEED ALASKAN FAMILIES.
Dune Lankard, Eyak Elder of the Native Conservancy, First to permit and grow kelp in Prince William Sound
KELP FARMING A particularly exciting area of economic opportunity is the emerging kelp farming industry, which is one branch of regenerative mariculture that involves growing sea greens on lines suspended below the ocean’s surface. With only eight active commercial seaweed farms currently operating in-state, kelp mariculture is nascent in Alaska, and emerging ocean farmers have the power to shape it to be ethical, reciprocal, and responsible. Immigrant communities have made huge contributions to this industry and are a large part of the workforce. Kelp is a nutrient-dense food that carries cultural significance for many Indigenous communities. It benefits the marine environment, strengthens the economic resilience of rural Alaska, and directly increases food security for coastal communities and areas where fertile land is scarce. In kelp, we find a sea green that requires no fertilizers and no chemicals to grow–only naturally-occurring nutrients, ocean water, and sunlight. In turn, it nourishes our bodies with high levels of vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, fiber, Omega-3s, and has 10 times more calcium than milk. Kelp strengthens the immune system, improves thyroid functioning, lowers blood pressure and purifies the arteries. The primary sea vegetables grown in Alaska today are sugar kelp (Saccharina latissima), ribbon kelp (Alariamarginata) and bull kelp (Nereocystis luetkeana).
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