Alaska Sea Grant

10/07/2026

Revised oyster manual hits the shelves !! 📖

Alaska Sea Grant has once again written the book on oyster cultivation in Alaska. Literally.

We’ve released The New Alaska Oyster Growers Manual, the definitive guide to cultivating oysters in the Last Frontier. It’s a comprehensive update of a volume that has been helping both prospective and active oyster farmers since the early 1980s. 🦪

“This update was a direct request from the Alaska Shellfish Growers Association to Alaska Sea Grant, and we made sure to address knowledge gaps and identify updates that were brought to our attention,” said Rachel French, an Alaska Sea Grant State Fellow and primary author of the manual. “We’ve included new technologies and developments in growout gear, processing equipment, and farm management.” 🌊

The 153-page illustrated manual is available from Alaska Sea Grant as a free PDF or as a printed publication, which will be available for free for a limited time. The book covers all phases of the oyster farming process, from site selection to post-harvest processing, and also includes a section on business planning and supplementary resources such as lists of fees and hazard planning worksheets. French said she and the other authors put in extensive work to make the book readable and accessible. 🤝🏼

Read the full story and get your copy today on our website linked 🔗 below. alaskaseagrant.org > News

🔗: https://alaskaseagrant.org/2026/09/revised-oyster-manual-hits-the-shelves/

10/05/2026

THIS MONTH !! 🌊

Seafood HACCP Segment 2
🗓️ October 30, 2026
⏰ 9:00 am – 4:00 pm AKDT

Alaska Sea Grant offers Seafood HACCP Segment 2 practical training via online video conferencing, conducted at the specified time with a live instructor. 🧑‍🏫

The class will cover the principles of HACCP and provide the tools and training to create a seafood HACCP plan. Students will need to register for and complete the Segment 1 training online prior to October 30 through the National Seafood HACCP Alliance for Training and Education. The Segment 1 training has a separate registration and fee.

This course meets the requirement for HACCP Segment 2. Participants will attend this HACCP training live, using online video conferencing to complete the practical training session. 🐟

All seafood processors in Alaska are required to have an approved Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point (HACCP) plan. This class prepares the participant to develop this plan.

Class size is limited to 20 participants. A basic HACCP certificate issued by the Association of Food and Drug Officials is awarded upon completion of the class. 📃

Learn more and register via the link 🔗 below. alaskaseagrant.org > Events

🔗: https://alaskaseagrant.org/event/seafood-haccp-segment-2-october-2026/

10/02/2026

For decades, Alaska Sea Grant has trained people to enter the commercial fishing workforce. Now the organization will also help people take the proper steps to get out. 🤝🏼

Clearing the Deck: Strengthening Fisheries Workforce Transitions is a new program aimed at helping late-career fishermen make intentional decisions about retiring from the industry. It’s one of four Alaska Sea Grant programs that recently received funding through the State of Alaska’s Technical and Vocational Education Program (TVEP). 🌊

Clearing the Deck will be led by Alaska Sea Grant fisheries workforce specialist John Williams. He said the motivation for the program stems from the particulars of Alaska’s limited-entry permit system, which can make it difficult for aspiring commercial fishermen to break into the industry. Clearing the Deck will help experienced fishermen evaluate their future business decisions with an eye toward improving pathways for new entrants into Alaska’s commercial fisheries. One aspect of that is encouraging late-career fishermen not to hold on to their permits when they’re no longer being used, and for them to try to sell the permits locally. 📍

“We plan to talk with these longtime permit holders and help them understand that in order to have successful rural coastal communities, they need for those permits to stay as close to that community as possible,” Williams said. “We want to keep knowledge on the water by supporting intentional business transitions and mentorship between generations of fishermen.” 🎣

Read the full story on our website 🔗 linked below. alaskaseagrant.org > News

🔗: https://alaskaseagrant.org/2026/09/transition-planning-other-alaska-sea-grant-programs-receive-state-funding/

10/02/2026

10/02/2026

Now that it’s October, we’ve hit the rainiest month of the year in Sitka — and that means the risk of landslides is at its peak.

We hope that the Sitka community makes use of the resources available to assess hazards and make decisions for their safety, especially our Landslide Dashboard tool.

The Landslide Dashboard was launched in 2022. Researched and built over several years, it was refined by and designed in large part through feedback from community members and partners, including the Sitka Tribe of Alaska and many others. 

Any weather and geohazard prediction tool, including this one, will contain uncertainty due to the sometimes unpredictable nature of the environment — however, there are steps you can take to make informed decisions based on data from previous landslides.

In this new blog post, SSSC’s Coastal Resilience Manager Luka Silva and Lead Geoscientist Nick Mathews outline what to keep in mind to interpret the Dashboard as accurately as possible, and keep you and your loved ones safe.

Read our tips here: https://sitkascience.org/tips-for-using-the-landslide-risk-dashboard/

Access the Landslide Dashboard here: https://sitkalandslide.org/

And please reach out to [email protected] with questions and suggestions — we are eager to hear your feedback!

09/30/2026

NEXT MONTH !! 🌊

Smoked Seafood School for Commercial Operators
🗓️ October 15– October 16
⏰ 9:00 am – 4:00 pm AKDT

This workshop is for seafood processors looking to include value-added products in their commercial operations (a Smoked Seafood School for general enthusiasts is planned for Spring 2027) ‼️

At this workshop for commercial operators, seafood scientists at the Kodiak Seafood and Marine Science Center will lead lectures and hands-on activities that include the principles of fish smoking, modern smoke oven operation, safety of smoked products, brining, cold smoking, hot-smoking, salmon jerky production and preparation of fish sausage. 🐟

The workshop will include presentations and demonstrations of food processing equipment by manufacturer representatives.

Maximum enrollment is 20 participants. Participants will receive a certificate upon completion. 💪

$310 Fees include: course materials, instruction and certificate upon successful completion.

Learn more and register on our website via the 🔗 link below. alaskaseagrant.org > Events

🔗: https://alaskaseagrant.org/event/smoked-seafood-school-for-commercial-operators-october-2026/

09/30/2026

September may be coming to a close, but being ready for the unexpected never ends ‼️

September is National Preparedness Month, an annual campaign to encourage people to prepare for natural disasters and other emergencies. ⛈️🌪️🌊🌋🔥

Did you know that Alaska Sea Grant has an “Alaska Emergency and Disaster Homeowner’s Handbook?” 👀

This handbook provides an overview of natural hazards in Alaska and the potential impacts to communities and homeowners. This is followed by best practices for preparing your home and surrounding area to mitigate potential impacts, how to prepare your household for an evacuation event, and what to expect when you return to your home. 🏠

Alaska has a limited road system, few urban centers, and many remote communities. Whether large or small, coastal or inland, connected by roads or accessible only by plane or boat, each community needs to be prepared for a particular set of extreme weather conditions and potential natural disasters. 🤝🏼

Get your copy today from the Alaska Sea Grant bookstore 🔗 linked below. alaskaseagrant.org > Bookstore

🔗: https://seagrant.uaf.edu/bookstore/pubs/MAB-79.html

09/29/2026

MEET SYDNEY !! 🩵

Sydney Almgren is an Alaska State Fellow working with the Alaska Fisheries Development Foundation (AFDF). Almgren collaborates with industry members, agencies, and fishermen to meet requirements to have Alaskan fisheries certified as sustainable. 🐟

Learn more about the Alaska Sea Grant State Fellowship Program via the 🔗 link in our bio.