NOAA Releases Report on Aquaculture Planning in Gulf of Alaska

NOAA Fisheries, in partnership with NOAA's National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science, released the Gulf of Alaska Aquaculture Atlas Rollout and Webtool Planning Workshop Series Report . It summarizes input gathered during workshops held in Anchorage, Juneau, and Kodiak in spring 2026. The report captures perspectives on how science-based planning and permitting tools can better support sustainable shellfish and seaweed aquaculture in Alaska from:

• Growers
• Tribal representatives
• Researchers
• State and federal agency staff
• Nonprofit organizations
• Fishing industry
• Community members

More than 100 participants from across the Gulf of Alaska helped shape recommendations for the next generation of aquaculture planning resources.

A Collaborative Vision for Aquaculture Planning

The workshop series introduced participants to the Gulf of Alaska Aquaculture Atlas , Alaska Digital Atlas , and NOAA's Aquaculture Explorer web tool currently in development. It provided opportunities for attendees to help shape this future webtool's development.

Through technical presentations, demonstrations, and facilitated breakout discussions, participants explored how planning tools can:

• Improve transparency during site selection
• Reduce permitting uncertainty and streamline efficiency
• Support informed decision-making
• Better integrate environmental, regulatory, and community information
• Complement local and Indigenous Knowledge throughout the planning process

Across all three workshops, participants emphasized that planning tools should support-not replace-site-specific analysis, robust community engagement, and collaboration.

Feedback Will Guide Development of the Aquaculture Explorer

A primary goal of the workshops was to gather user feedback for the new Aquaculture Explorer. This online decision-support tool currently is in development by NOAA's National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science.

Participants identified several priorities for the tool, such as:

• Integrated environmental, regulatory, and operational datasets
• Interactive mapping and site comparison tools
• Early identification of potential use conflicts
• Streamlined planning and permitting resources
• User-friendly reports tailored to different audiences
• Transparent data sources and clearly communicated uncertainties

The report provides detailed recommendations that will help ensure the Aquaculture Explorer is practical, transparent, and responsive to the needs of Alaska's aquaculture community.

From Workshop Insights to Future Planning

The workshop report is an important milestone in NOAA's ongoing effort to develop science-based planning resources for Alaska aquaculture. It provides another way to engage in the planning process for Aquaculture Opportunity Areas . These are defined geographic areas that may be environmentally, socially, and economically appropriate to support multiple commercial aquaculture operations.

Participants consistently highlighted the importance of transparency, continuous refinement, ongoing collaboration, and meaningful engagement with Tribes, growers, agencies, researchers, and local communities.

The Aquaculture Explorer will likely be released by the end of 2026, with additional opportunities for stakeholder engagement and beta testing planned as development continues.

The intent of identifying Aquaculture Opportunity Areas and developing new web tools is to build adaptable planning resources that support growers, agencies, Tribes, researchers, and communities as aquaculture development and associated data needs in Alaska continue to evolve.