Aquaculture Opportunity Atlas for Alaska: Suitability and Siting Models

NCCOS developed an Aquaculture Opportunity Atlas for Alaska in 2024. The dataset contains geospatial data for ten study areas, including suitability models and precision siting outputs for intertidal and subtidal mariculture. It was published by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and last updated in March 2026.

Use Cases

• Identify potential aquaculture sites based on modeled suitability for ten Alaskan study areas.
• Compare intertidal versus subtidal mariculture scenarios using precision siting cluster outputs.
• Support marine spatial planning decisions based on factors like sea ice coverage and distance from populated places.
• Analyze final Aquaculture Opportunity Area options derived from highest-ranking model polygons.

Strengths

• Focuses on ten distinct study areas in Alaska, including Cordova, Craig, Juneau, Ketchikan, Kodiak, Petersburg, Seward, Sitka, Valdez, and Wrangell.
• Includes outputs for two specific aquaculture scenarios: intertidal and subtidal mariculture.
• Modeling incorporates multiple criteria, such as sea ice coverage, distance from populated places, and existing aquaculture sites.

Limitations

• Description metadata is limited; actual data quality requires manual inspection after download.
• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• The description notes model outputs cannot be compared between study areas as each was run as a discrete model.

Provenance

Source

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce

Collection Method

Geospatial modeling study developed during 2024.

Time Range

2023-06-01 to 2025-06-31

Freshness

Last updated 2026-03-13 20:39:10.536227; freshness should be verified.

Geography

State of Alaska waters, specifically ten study areas.