Gov. Mike Dunleavy introduced a bill Friday that aims to reverse Alaska’s ban on finfish farming, drawing pushback from some lawmakers who say it would hinder the state’s seafood industry.
Alaska currently only allows aquaculture for shellfish and kelp. Dunleavy said House Bill 111 would allow farmers to breed and develop finfish stocks. The bill would not allow salmon farming.
But some lawmakers are pushing back. Rep. Sarah Vance, who regularly sides with Dunleavy, wrote “Friends don’t let friends eat farmed fish” on Facebook Friday. And Rep. Louise Stutes told legislators during a Monday floor session that the bill could threaten Alaska’s wild fisheries at a time when the commercial fishing industry is struggling.
"Lifting a ban on finfish farming — regardless of the species or whether it's in salt or freshwater — would send the wrong signal to the industry, fishing communities, and fishing families across the state that are struggling to recover," she said.
The bill faces significant hurdles in the state Legislature. Stutes, along with House Fisheries Committee Vice Chair Bryce Edgmon, released a statement Monday opposing the bill, which they said “erodes the spirit of the current ban.” Alaska outlawed fish farming in 1990 following widespread opposition to the practice from lawmakers and the public.
Although the new bill excludes salmon farming, Stutes warned it could set the stage for future salmon farming.
"Pursuing freshwater finfish farming of any kind is a foot in the door for salmon farming in Alaska," she told the Legislature.
Dunleavy responded to fears over the bill in a video, released Monday evening, doubling down on his assertion that it would not open opportunities for salmon farming in the state.
“This bill does not allow the farming of salmon,” Dunleavy said. “That is an iconic Alaskan species of fish.”
Rather, he said the bill would create opportunities for “mom and pop operations” to legally cultivate freshwater species like trout.
Edgmon was a staffer in 1990 when the Legislature passed the fish farming ban. He said in an interview Monday that Dunleavy’s proposal caught him off guard.
“As the speaker of the house, I had no idea this bill was coming forward, no conversations with anyone,” he said. “My concern with the bill is the signal that it sends, and the fact that we didn't have a conversation beforehand.”
Alaska passed the Aquatic Farm Act in 1988, and leaders have tried to expand aquaculture in the state for years, arguing that the U.S. was missing out in economic opportunities. The global aquaculture industry is worth more than $6 billion. China leads the sector, producing about a third of global output, according to a 2024 report from the United Nations’ Food and Agriculture Organization. The U.S. produces about 2%.
Dunleavy’s proposed bill would limit fish farming methods to “inland, closed system bodies of water,” which would include freshwater ponds and tanks.
“We're not talking about open water cages or any other cultivation method like that,” said Alicia Bishop, the aquaculture coordinator for the National Marine Fisheries Service. “This would be on land, closed ponds or recirculating aquaculture systems.”
The bill would also require any farmed fish be sterilized, so they couldn’t reproduce if they did escape the tanks.
The bill was referred to the House Fisheries Committee, but its path and any current support in the Legislature remain unclear.
