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AQUA Y~Zi,"Ives Guidelines for Shellfish Farmingin Alaska

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AQUA Y~Zi, 1 AQUA y~Zi,"ives Guidelines for Shellfish Farmingin Alaska Brian C. Paust MarineAdvisory Program Petersburg,Alaska RaymondRaLonde MarineAnchorage,Advisory Program XIIIIIIW% I,r"IP g ]on: NATIONALSEA GRANT DEPQSITQRY PFLLLIBRARY BUILDING URI NARRAGANSETTBAYCAMPUS 4APRAGANSETT,R.l02882 AlaskaSea Grant College Program PO.Box 755040 ~ Universityof AlaskaFairbanks Fairbanks,Alaska 99775-5040 907! 474.6707~ Fax 907!474-6285 http://www.uaf.alaska.edu/seagrant AN-16~ 1997~ Price:$4.00 ElmerE. RasmusonLibrary Cataloging-in-Publication Data Contents Paust, Brian C. Guidelinesfor shellfish farming in Alaska / Brian C. Paust,Raymond RaLonde. The Authors . Introduction . Aquaculture notes; no. 16! Marine Advisory Program The Roadto SuccessfulShellfish Farming . Starting the Business. ISBN 1-56612-050-0 Follow These Steps No Precise Instructions Available 3 1. Shellfishculture Alaska. 2. Oysterculture Alaska. I. RaLonde, Aquaculture Business on a Small Scale . Raymond. Il. Alaska SeaGrant College Program. III. Title. IV. Series. PictureYourself as an Aquatic Farmer 4 4 The Need to Be Optimistic and Innovative SH371,P38 1997 What Niche Do You Want to Fill in Aquatic Farming?... ..... 4 Practical Experience ls Necessary Be Sure Information Is Accurate 5 5 Be Cautious of Claims of High Profits Beware of the Gold RushMentality 6 7 Checklist Before You Invest. ..... 7 Financing,............... ..... 8 How Much Money Is Neededfor Investment? ..... 8 Credits Why Some ShellfishOperations Have Failed. 9 Major Constraints Facingthe Industry , 10 Cover design is by SusanGibson, editing is by Sue Keller, and Tips on Reducing Business Risk . 11 layout is by Carol Kaynor. The Market for Alaska Shellfish . .,11 Thisbook is the resultof work sponsoredby the Universityof AlaskaSea Grant College Program, which iscooperatively supported by ShellfishAquaculture Techniques ... 12 the U.S. Department of Commerce, NOAA Office of Sea Grant, under Need for Reliable Seed Sources . 12 Growing Safe Shellfish ... 13 grant no. NA46RG0104,projects A/71-01 and A/75-01; and by the Universityof AlaskaFairbanks with statefunds, The Universityof Alaska Avoid Water Pollution Problems , 13 is an affirmativeaction/equal opportunity employer and educational Culture Site ... 14 institution. Start Planning a Year in Advance of Applying for a Sea Grant is a unique partnership with public and private sectors Culture Site ... 14 combining research,education, and technology transfer for public Site Selection Process . 14 service.This national network of universitiesmeets changing environ- Key Site Selection Criteria ...15 rnental and economic needs of people in our coastal, ocean, and Great In Summary, Enter with Caution ... 19 Lakesregions. Further Reading...,................................... 20 The Authors Introduct>on Brian Paustis professor of fisherieseducation at the Universityof Shellfish aquaculture in Alaska can be a perilous career choice for the Alaska, and has been the SeaGrant Marine Advisory Agent in Peters- new entrepreneur. It can also be exciting and prof~tablefor the person burg, Alaska, for 18 years, He has presented numerous workshops and willing to work hard and deal with the issuesand risks. is the author of several resource manuals on underutilized species and This manual has practical guidelines, strategies, and warnings other Alaska fisheriestopics. about entry into shellfish farming businessin Alaska and other cold- Ray RaLondeis professor of fisheriesfor the Universityof Alaska, water regions. The information was collected by extension workers and has servedas aquaculture specialistfor the Alaska Sea Grant who have worked closelywith Alaska shellfish farmers over the past Marine Advisory Programsince 1991. His experiencein aquaculture two decades.It can be adapted to farming several bivalve speciesin education in Alaska includes teaching at Sheldon JacksonCollege and the North in many parts of the world, at the Universityof Alaska Fairbanks,and he is currently superintendent The book addressesthe culture of the Pacificoyster Crassostrea of the Alaska Future Farmersof America Marine Technology program. gigas!in Alaska,In Alaska,shellfish aquaculture methods include He serves on the Alaska Mariculture Technical Center Advisory Com- suspendedculture, such as lantern nets hung from surface longlines, mittee, Cook Inlet KeepersTechnical Advisory Board, and the Western and to a lesser extent intertidal zone methods, such as rack-and-bag RegionalAquaculture Consortium ExtensionSubcommittee. culture which can be used in areaswhere winter freezing is not a problem. Suspended culture methods are most frequently used to Brian Paust culture single oysters for the half-shell market, but can also be applied Marine Advisory Program to the production of shucked oysters. P.O. Box 1329 Eventhough Alaska shellfish farmers have experiencedconstraints Petersburg, AK 99833 ranging from biological concernsto complex sociopolitical difficulties, 907! 772-3381 the Alaska shellfish farming industry is making significant progress. ffbcpOaurora.alaska.edu Most of the growth in shellfish culture in Alaska came only a few years httpJ/www.uaf.alaska.edu/MAP/peter/peter. html ago, after the Alaska State Legislaturepassed the Aquatic FarmAct of 1988. This single initiative enabled the expansion of aquatic farms in RayRaLonde severalAlaska regions. During 1990-1994, Alaska went from a few Marine Advisory Program aquatic farms to sixty-four. With farms permitted to culture shellfish 2221 E. Northern Lights Blvd. ¹110 on nearly 200 acres of state tidelands, the industry has grown from Anchorage, AK 99508-4140 production totaling a few thousand dollars in 1988, to several times 907! 274-9691 this amount at the end of 1994. This growth has taken Alaska beyond afrlriluaa.alaska.edu experimental shellfish culture industry. The Alaska industry is now poised for a period of significant growth. In spite of progress made to date, shellfish farming remains a risky business.An important function of this manual is to decreasethe rate of businessfailure associatedwith the industry. Guidelines for Shellfish Farming in Alaska Guidelines for Shellfish Farmingin Alaska The Road to Successful Shellfish Farming researchedbusiness plan. A business plan coupled with careful researchand a good pilot project should provide an early indication of As in any new industry, information may not be readily available on problems and give ample time for mid-course corrections. how to plan and start a business.But with a little digging,you will find The easiestway to get into the aquaculture businessis to buy an a wealth of practical information. Veteran farmers are frequently existing viable operation, an option not available in Alaska. For willing to share information. Key to your successas a new aquatic starting the businessfrom scratch, the following sequence is sug- farmer is a close working relationship with resource managers, con- gested Milne 1979, Paust 1987!: sultants, farmers, support industry members, and university extension workers. ~ Completea marketanalysis, including factors influencing Get a copy of Developing a Mariculture Businessin Alaska demand for the product. RaLondeand Paust 1993!, available at the University of Alaska Marine ~ Consider available capital and sourcesof borrowed capital, Advisory Program and local libraries. It has lists of resourcesand and calculate the maximum permissiblescale of the project. contacts necessaryfor the businessplanning process.Also, consider membership in an aquaculture associationto gain industry support. ~ Select speciesor speciesmix based on market demand, The essential organizations include the Alaskan Shellfish Growers available capital, and capabilities of site. Association, 907! 288-3667; and the Pacific Coast Oyster Growers ~ Select appropriate culture methods based on species,product Association, 06! 459-2828. form, and site characteristics. Whenever considering entry into a new businessventure, it is best to develop a clear plan of action and be thoroughly objective. The ~ Start site selection process,involving a searchfor several tasks can be accomplished by the average individual. Many suitable sites within region. peopleentering this field with little to no experiencein aquatic farming have gone on to develop profitable businesses. ~ Select and test the best sites. Before launching into business,the prospective farmer should ~ Choose best site or group of closelyassociated sites examine personal goals, and technical, financial, emotional, and physicalassets. The ability to do heavy work in a harsh environment is Make a forrnal businessplan. required. The currents are strong, the water is cold, and the hours are ~ Start pilot project to verify viability of the site, and the produc- long. Self-preservationis an essentialskill in this field. tion and management assumptions in the businessplan The Alaska aquatic farming industry needs a large number of well- significant modifications may need to be made!. inforrned recruits equipped with the stamina and practical knowlectge to overcome the challenges,We hope you will become a long-term ~ Progressto full-scale production. member of the industry. The following caveatsshould be seriouslyconsidered by prospec- No Precise Instructions Avaiiabie tive farmers and investors.They provide a realistic appraisalof There is no detailed recipe for successfulfarming, for several reasons: problems encountered in the aquatic farming industry. 5tatements are not listed in order of importance.! ~ No two shellfish
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