Oyster farm part of a growth industry

WRANGELL - Aquatic farming in Alaska could be a big industry, and completely sustainable.

That's according to Wrangell's Julie Decker, executive director of Alaska Fisheries Development Foundation, a nonprofit that focuses on research and development for the seafood industry.

Shellfish and seaweed farming are the only types of aquatic farming permitted in Alaska. Mariculture includes saltwater farming, differing from aquaculture which "farms" in freshwater.

Mariculture development, if managed properly, has a positive impact on the environment, as opposed to conventional farming on land, Decker...