Mariculture Minute

Today, we’re talking with Angie Bowers. Professor Bowers teaches at the University of Alaska Southeast, Sitka –Angie teaches all about salmon, seaweed and shellfish. And before entering the halls of academia, Angie had a rich career working at Salmon hatcheries. Hatchery work is a mix of science, labor and maritime skills. All fascinating things to talk about on their own, but some hatcheries are...

We’re talking space aquaculture. Raising sea bass in lunar waters, growing spirulina on Mars, and maybe even farming oysters in the depths of Saturn’s moon Enceladus. Oh and also, did you know seaweed could be used to shield space explorers from cosmic rays? We’ll be scouring current research and scientific writing. And attempt to go where no one’s gone before, behind a paywall to read an article....

A mystery begins! In an old 1956 report on Paralytic Shellfish Poison—some interesting information on PSP field test kits is crossed out with a pen. What happened? I don’t have all the answers, but we get some leads. Are you a chemist or biomedical scientist? Maybe you could help piece together some clues and help us find out what happened to public health researcher Mary L. Schafer. Check out the...

Today we’re talking to Matt Schultz, an Anchorage pastor running for congress. Alaska has only one seat in the House of Representatives, which is currently held by Nick Begich. Kelp the Vote! Mariculture Minute is committed to providing Alaskan voters with information on how our politicians view mariculture. Matt, as he prefers to be called, answers my questions about mariculture and even drops a...

We hear from Edna DeVries, Shelley Hughes and Jonathan Kreiss-Tomkins—as the three run for Alaska Governor. What do they think of Alaskan Mariculture? The Shell Notes! Edna DeVries’ website : Edna DeVries for Alaskan Governor A couple articles about DeVries: * Mat-Su mayor files to run as a Republican for Alaska governor - Anchorage Daily News * Mat-Su Borough Mayor Edna DeVries joins 2026 governo...

In this episode, we hear from two Republican Candidates for Alaska Governor: Matt Heilala and Hank Kroll. Vocab Words and Terms! * Paralytic Shellfish Poisoning Blooms * Native Corporations * Paella * Food Security Links! Matt Heilala for Governor – Campaign Website https://matt4governor.com/ Hank Kroll – Official Website https://hankkroll.com/ ACLU of Alaska – Voter Registration Deadline Informat...

In this episode, we hop into our time traveling oysters and visit 1830s Boston, Shakespeare’s England, Ancient Rome and the coast of North America thousands of years ago! The article that kicks off this episode is an op-ed essay from the New York Times, “Why Kids Became Picky Eaters” by Helen Zoe Veit https://www.nytimes.com/2026/02/15/opinion/junk-food-picky-eaters.html?searchResultPosition=1 And...

In this episode, we talk to Josie about her fall internship, collecting stones from fish ears—otoliths! And then we travel down stream and explore otolith folklore and even get some answers to what exactly fish hear. You might remember Josie’s Oyster Farm. Summer chronicled in a previous episode—Link all the way at the end of the show notes! VOCAB WORDS * Otolith * Indian River * Pink Salmon * Chu...

This is the second episode in our Kelp the Vote series, about Alaska politics and ocean farming. In this episode I’ll read responses I got from a couple current incumbents, U.S. Senator Dan Sullivan and Rebecca Himschoot who represents my town, Sitka in the Alaska legislature. Register to Vote! https://voterregistration.alaska.gov/ Episode Links & Shell Notes U.S. Senator Dan Sullivan Voting Recor...

In this episode we explore mariculture and politics with a focus on the 2026 Alaska Governor’s race. I get perspectives from three candidates (out of the 12? currently running): Tom Begich, Click Bishop and James Parkin. CORRECTION: WHOOPS! In the podcast I mentioned there are two Democrats in the race so far, as I was editing the episode another one joined the race. https://alaskabeacon.com/2026/...

In this episode I talk with Mathew Bate, the author of With a Little Kelp from Our Friends talks to Mariculture Minute. We get into social licensing seaweed, writing about climate change for kids and how Mat got interested in seaweed. Notable People Mentioned in Episode! * Mat Bate - https://www.matbate.com/with-a-little-kelp-from-our-friends * Liz Rowland - https://lizrowlandillustration.myportfo...

First check out these Northern Lights in Sitka! It’s usually too cloudy—but we got the full experience this week. In this episode we explore if oysters—those cuddly, delicious bivalves—are vegan. It’s an interesting debate which teaches us about oyster anatomy, oyster farming and more. Here are some vocab words and links! Vocab! * Animal liberation (Peter Singer) * Dead Zones * Nitrogen * Oyster d...

I just completed the Alaska Aquaculture semester here in Sitka and I wanted to talk to Aldo because he did it all. He drove the vans, managed tons of logistics, taught us boating skills and how to tie knots. He prepared farming gear for both shellfish and seaweed, taught us how to culture algae, made sure our wetsuits were the right size. He even got us ice cream. I wanted to hear more of Aldo’s e...

How practical is the mouse bio assay for shellfish? It’s saved some human lives. But in this episode we take a look at its practicality and future in the state of Alaska. We continue our chat with Shannon Cellan the Environmental Lab Manager at the Sitka Tribe of Alaska about the mouse bioassay and shellfish. I also go off on some tangents—sifting through legislative documents, taking a peek into...

In this episode we talk about the details of testing shellfish for paralytic shellfish toxin. We continue our discussion with Shannon Cellan, the environmental lab manager for the Sitka Tribe of Alaska. For more information visit: seator.org The Sitka Tribe of Alaska Environmental Research Lab: https://seator.org/lab/ Vocab, Links and More! Bioassay - https://www2.latech.edu/~wakeman/biomon/bioass...

In this episode I talk with Shannon Cellan about paralytic shellfish toxins and her work at the Sitka Tribe of Alaska. Links! Shellfish Testing Data: https://seator.org/data/ Shellfish Testing Map: https://ahab.portal.aoos.org/#map Sitka Tribe of Alaska Environmental Research Lab (how to submit shellfish for testing): https://seator.org/lab/ Vocab! Action Potential - https://faculty.washington.edu...

At a talk on Whale Entanglement—that’s where whales get caught in fishing gear—I asked researcher Michelle Dutro , during the audience Q&A, if kelp farms pose a risk to whales. Spoiler Alert: there have been no issues with whales and Alaska kelp farms. Resources Mentioned Michelle Dutro’s Page on Whalefest https://sitkawhalefest.org/speakers/3927/ Report Marine Mammal Entanglements in Alaska (phon...

In this episode Josie talks to us about her summer internship at an Oyster Farm. Josie is a student at the University of Alaska Southeast’s Alaska Aquaculture program. Here’s a video of the FlipFarm baskets in action. Here some links referenced in the show: FlipFarm — Josie talks about working with this gear: https://www.flipfarmusa.com/ Listen to a podcast with Eric Wyatt, Josie’s Boss: Oyster-ol...

We talk about product development, marketing, employment and other kelp things. I really appreciate Kathryn taking the time to talk to Mariculture Minute! This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit thekelpshow.substack.com

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit thekelpshow.substack.com

In today’s episode we hear from an Anna, an aquaculture intern from UAS Sitka. Anna tells us what it’s like to work at Medvejie Hatchery. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit thekelpshow.substack.com