Alaskan authorities plan to "permit the cultivation and sale of certain finish in inland, closed system bodies of water."
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The Alaskan government is proposing to allow commercial finfish farming in the state for the first time - but with the exception of salmon species.
Currently, commercial fish farming is banned in Alaska, with only private non-profit salmon hatcheries allowed to operate.
However, in recent days Alaskan Governor Mike Dunleavy has announced a turnaround in policy, proposing a new law, HB 111 , which "would authorize the Commissioner of the Department of Fish and Game, in consultation with the Commissioner of the Department of Conservation, to permit the cultivation and sale of certain finfish in inland, closed system bodies of water".
According to a news release by the Alaskan Governor's office on February 21, the new legislation is intended to support food security and economic opportunity in the state.
“This legislation is a continuation of my administration’s efforts to grow Alaska’s food security by creating a new fish farming industry,” Dunleavy said.
“Alaska can join other regions of the world by raising fish that can be sold and consumed here in Alaska and be available for export. This legislation will yield new jobs, economic growth, and a new food source for all Alaskans," he added.
The new legislation specifically prohibits cultivation of salmon of all species, including pink, chum, sockeye, coho, chinook and Atlantic salmon.
It also stipulates that all finfish should be sterilized triploids and thus unable to reproduce, and that finfish farms should be "enclosed within a natural or artificial escape proof barrier".
The legislation also authorizes "stocking a lake on private property with finfish for personal consumption without a permit if the lake is enclosed with a natural or artificial escape-proof barrier".
Dunleavy has previously voiced support for developing Alaska's mariculture sector, specifically focusing on seaweed cultivation.
"In Alaska we have more coastline than all the lower 48 [states] put together. Alaska's the salmon capital of the world. It's my goal to make Alaska the mariculture capital of the world as well," Dunleavy stated in September 2024, noting that the Alaska government had "streamlined the permitting process for mariculture, and cut the time needed to get a new farm lease in state waters in half".
The Alaskan Governor's office points out that, according to the USDA Aquaculture Census, in 2023, food fish aquaculture sales in the USA amounted to $819.6 million, with catfish the leading species accounting for more than half of the value generated, followed by trout and tilapia.
