NCCOS has released an Atlas that compiles the best available science to inform the identification of Aquaculture Opportunity Areas (AOAs) in the Gulf of Alaska. This study identified 77 AOA options in 10 study areas with the potential to support multiple commercial seaweed and shellfish aquaculture operations in Alaska state waters.
In June 2023, NOAA announced the beginning of a collaborative effort between NCCOS, NOAA Fisheries, and the State of Alaska to identify AOAs. To kickoff this process, a preliminary mapping and modelling study was conducted to identify draft AOA Options located in the state waters of Southeast, Southcentral, and Southwest Alaska. Public feedback following a Request for Information and Notice of Availability published in the Federal Register, as well as workshops, meetings, and virtual engagement efforts with targeted partners, agencies, and tribes, has supported the development of AOA options that have the highest potential to support aquaculture development, while also reducing conflicts with other ocean uses.
This work builds upon the AOA identification processes in Southern California and the Gulf of America, which identified 21,000 acres as AOAs in 2025. The Alaska AOA Atlas is the third in the AOA Atlas series providing comprehensive marine spatial analyses for U.S. ocean and coastal spaces. NCCOS developed each Atlas using more than 85 data layers accounting for key considerations that contribute to the triple bottom line of environmentally, economically, and socially responsible coastal and offshore development.
It is important to note that the Atlas does not identify AOAs, but is instead an important step to provide peer-reviewed spatial mapping analyses that inform the AOA identification process. The decision to identify an AOA will only be made after completion of the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement, which will assess the impacts of siting aquaculture facilities in potential locations. All proposed aquaculture development must also go through the appropriate permitting process.
Though the information delivered in these Atlases is tailored to inform the AOA selection process, the methods used to conduct these analyses could also support planning and development for other pioneering ocean industries, siting conservation areas, as well as coastal management. Check out the Alaska Digital Aquaculture Atlas to view Alaska AOA Options and data layers.
NOAA will continue to work with Fishery Management Councils, Marine Fisheries Commissions, state and federal agencies, tribes, and other community members to identify areas to be considered for sustainable aquaculture development. Public input is vital to shaping a transparent and inclusive AOA process.