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.

• If you are not an Alaska native and/or not a tribal member in the area in which you are planning to farm, request input from local tribal and native corporation leadership. It may be appropriate to contact the regional or village corporation, and/or tribal government depending on where your project is located. Make sure the area you plan to use does not conflict with traditional subsistence use or have other cultural value with which your farm might harm or interfere. The National Congress of American Indians Directory and this GIS map layer can help you find what tribes and native corporations are in your area. For help with how best to coordinate with tribal governments, you can also contact state and federal agency tribal liaisons:

• • Gina Shirey
    ADEC Local and Tribal Government Coordinator
    gina.shirey@alaska.gov
    907-465-5272

• • Kendall Campbell
    USACE Tribal Liaison
    kendall.d.campbell@usace.army.mil
    907-753-5582

• When possible, talk with other aquaculture farmers in your area about their experiences and your plans.
• Talk to your  ADF&G Local Area Office’s dive fishery managers, and the ADF&G permit coordinator (907-465-4724), regarding potential overlap with dive fisheries.
• Contact your local city or borough government and the appropriate planning section, as additional authorizations may be required from them. Please provide the name, address, and telephone number of the person(s) you contacted and list any required authorizations in your state application.

• • Ketchikan Gateway Borough Planning and Community Development
  • City of Craig Planning and Zoning
  • City and Borough of Juneau Permit Center
  • City and Borough of Sitka Planning and Community Development
  • City of Thorne Bay Planning and Zoning
  • City and Borough of Yakutat Planning and Zoning Commission
  • Kenai Peninsula Borough Land Management Division
  • City of Kodiak
  • City of Unalaska Planning Department
  • City of Cordova Planning Department
  • City of Valdez Planning Department
  • City of Homer Planning Department

If you’re unsure if you’re within city or borough boundaries, use the Mariculture Map city and borough layers to find out if you are within a nearby city or borough boundary.

Questions to ask your city or borough

1. Is my proposed location zoned for marine aquaculture?
2. What local permits are required for my type of farm in my proposed location?
3. How long does the approval process take in this city/borough?
4. What taxes need to be paid on aquaculture harvests?
5. Does the city or borough charge tax on the ADNR lease?