Seagriculture Speaker

About the speaker:

Julie Decker is the Executive Director of the Alaska Fisheries Development Foundation. Since in 1994, Decker has worked in Alaska’s seafood industry with a variety of positions which include: cannery worker, deckhand, diver, vessel owner, and manager of both seafood processing businesses and trade organizations. In the summers, she takes vacation time to commercial fish with her husband, and they also recently applied for a seaweed farm near Wrangell, Alaska.

Decker has also served on various boards and committees working toward economic development in the seafood industry, including the Alaska Seafood Marketing Institute, United Fishermen of Alaska, Southeast Conference, Wrangell Borough Assembly, and the Certified Seafood Collaborative.

Decker holds a bachelor’s degree from Northwestern University, and a Master's of Public Administration, with a concentration in Natural Resource Management, from the University of Alaska Southeast. In 2013, Decker was presented the Ernest Gruening Award for “outstanding graduate student”. In 2021, Decker was named a National Fisherman Highliner.

Company info: 

Alaska Fisheries Development Foundation (AFDF) is a nonprofit organization which broadly represents Alaska’s seafood industry in the areas of research and development. AFDF is dedicated to identifying opportunities common to the Alaska seafood industry and developing efficient, sustainable outcomes that provide benefits to the economy, environment and communities. More info at:  www.afdf.org. 

Presentation:

In 2014, AFDF started the Alaska Mariculture Initiative to expedite the growth of seaweed and shellfish in Alaska. Since that time, find out more about: the large growth of seaweed activities in Alaska; how is Alaska managing this; how easy/difficult is it to obtain cultivation permits in Alaska; what seaweed processing exists; synergies with other aquaculture activities, and more.

Keywords: 

Alaska Mariculture Initiative