Project Overview
Blue Evolution, in partnership with Sun’Aq Tribal Enterprises through Wildsource, proposes an innovative project aimed at enhancing the mariculture industry in Kodiak, Alaska. This project focuses on the primary stabilization of seaweed through drying, a significant barrier to industry growth. Leveraging Blue Evolution’s extensive experience in seaweed processing and Wildsource’s vast expertise in seafood processing, the project aims to develop and optimize drying conditions, establish product specifications, and introduce the product to the marketplace. This initiative is expected to contribute to local economic development, job creation, and the sustainable production of seaweed, a promising ocean crop. Blue Evolution has prior and existing experience in stabilization of seaweed using dehydration techniques from its own operations in Baja California, Mexico where it currently processes more than 200,000 lbs annually of seaweed for drying that is being exported to the United States as powder and flakes. Blue Evolution has high confidence that it can bring its expertise to bear on this project to develop the kelp drying process for a viable stabilization process and market a stable product. Innovating the processing conditions in Alaska by addressing the drying challenges requires a combination of technological advancements, infrastructure improvements, best practices, and collaboration among industry stakeholders. When these challenges are addressed, the seafood and mariculture industry in Kodiak will enhance the quality, safety, and marketability of dried seafood products while maximizing economic opportunities for local communities.
Interim Report
The project aims to enhance the primary stabilization of seaweed through drying, thereby addressing a significant barrier to the growth of the mariculture industry in Kodiak, Alaska. The primary outcome of this project is to design, install, and optimize a commercial dehydration process for kelp. We seek to understand drying conditions of time and temperature, finished product specifications, lab testing of nutrient, heavy metal, moisture level, water activity, and other product stability and specification information, as well as determining operational costs and commercial feasibility.
In April of this year we successfully processed just under 20,000 pounds of Sugar and Ribbon kelp, blast freezing the material to hold under cold storage in Kodiak, AK until we are ready to dehydrate the kelp. The commercial dehydrator for the trial is currently in storage while we wait for our partner, Kodiak Wildsource, to complete upgrades to their dock, which is the site location for the commercial dryer. Delays in the work to the dock has been our primary challenge as we cannot begin the trial until we have a site to house the dryer. While our timeline has been delayed the proposal remains the same with funds budgeted to cover labor and utility costs, placement of the dryer, and lab analysis of the dehydrated kelp.
We anticipate placing the dryer by December 2024. Dehydration trials should begin no later than January 2025, with all work, labs, and analysis completed no later than March 2025.
Additional Information
Our scope of work remains unchanged, with several modifications to the trial timeline. We processed the kelp needed for the dehydration trial to a frozen form in April 2024. This material is in cold storage until we can install the dryer at the end of 2024, completing the work by the end of Q1 2025. Our primary challenge to date has been waiting for dock infrastructure work to be completed at our host partner site before we can install the dryer. The latest update from our partner in Kodiak is that this work will be completed before the end of 2024. At this point in the project we anticipate utilizing all funds awarded.