Alaska Aquaculture Permitting

Lease and permit information for commercial marine aquaculture activities

Permits for commercial marine aquaculture activities

Getting Started

Before You Start

Have a clear plan for your project. Just like when you apply for a building permit, you must know your plan before you start to fill out the application. This may include drawings with dimensions, maps, pictures, etc. Please see Helpful Acronyms to Know, if there are agency references that you don’t recognize.

Questions to Consider

What is the intent of your project and what is your final product? Commercial aquaculture involves the sale of a cultivated organism. 

Talk to Your Community

Talk to property owners or other frequent users adjacent to your proposed site about your plan. This will help reduce potential user conflicts later in your application process.

Set Up a Pre-application Meeting

Contact and set up a meeting (depending on individual agency preference and capacity) with state agencies (ADNR, ADF&G, and ADEC) and federal agencies (USACE, USCG, USFWS, & NMFS). Alaska law requires that to engage in aquatic farming activities, any person must be permitted through ADF&G and ADEC. If your farm is located on state tidelands or submerged lands, you must have a lease through ADNR. Further, you must be permitted by USACE to place your farm equipment in navigable waters.