Native Conservancy promotes regenerative ocean farming in Alaska

The Native Conservancy is developing regenerative ocean farming projects in Alaska that focus on cultivating kelp and bivalves to restore ecosystems and strengthen Indigenous sovereignty, according to The Fish Site. Founder Dune Lankard, an Eyak Athabaskan from Cordova, said the initiative aims to revive Indigenous coastal economies and reconnect communities with ancestral food systems disrupted by colonization and pollution.

The Conservancy, the first Native-led and Native-owned land trust in Alaska, is collaborating with regional organizations to establish kelp test farms and collect environmental data on salinity, temperature and biomass. Tiffany Stephens, director of Ocean Back at the Conservancy, said the group is also working to address barriers such as permitting, workforce development and processing. Lankard said the project’s success will be measured by sustainability and sovereignty rather than profit.