The U.S. Department of Agriculture is giving the Kodiak Economic Development Corporation $80,000 to foster and expand mariculture in the Kodiak Archipelago. This funding will help the corporation develop a business plan for 13 kelp farms in Southwest Alaska.
Melissa Schoenwether, executive director and project lead of the Kodiak corporation, said in a press release earlier this month on Nov. 8 that by supporting mariculture, small businesses will hopefully grow, new jobs will be created and the local economy will become more sustainable. She said, “we hope to see growth in new businesses, the creation of well-paying jobs, and a stronger foundation for economic independence.”
This funding comes as the corporation is exploring ways to bolster mariculture production in Kodiak and possibly turn Gibson Cove, an old fish processing plant, into a mariculture processing facility. Melissa Schoenwether with the Kodiak Economic Development Corporation told the local Fisheries Work Group last month that her organization is preparing to study the feasibility of Gibson Cove. The City of Kodiak currently owns the property and has demolished the building.
The $80,000 grant to support kelp farms comes from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Rural Business Development Grant program.
