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Mothers of Millions

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Mothers of Millions

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PO Box 345, Seward, Alaska 99664

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mothersofmillions@gmail.com

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We recently attended the mariculture conference in Sitka, AK and had the privilege of sharing a presentation that features our story of processing! 🌊🌊 #mariculture #kelp #seaweed #alaska #alaskamariculture #alaskakelp #alaskankelp #farming

We recently attended the mariculture conference in Sitka, AK and had the privilege of sharing a presentation that features our story of processing! 🌊🌊 #mariculture #kelp #seaweed #alaska #alaskamariculture #alaskakelp #alaskankelp #farming

Just because the winter is over, doesn’t mean we stop shredding over here at Mothers of Millions 💪🏼 #kelp #kelpfarming #alaska #alaskan #boatlife #adventure #organic #organicfarming #organicfarm #organiccertified #kelpforestisthebestforest #kelpforest

Just because the winter is over, doesn’t mean we stop shredding over here at Mothers of Millions 💪🏼 #kelp #kelpfarming #alaska #alaskan #boatlife #adventure #organic #organicfarming #organicfarm #organiccertified #kelpforestisthebestforest #kelpforest

WE ARE NOW CERTIFIED ORGANIC! 🥳 After a long winter, we have begun our harvesting and processing season this month. Our processing facility has been officially certified organic and is cutting edge in the kelp industry—we can’t wait to show it to you!

WE ARE NOW CERTIFIED ORGANIC! 🥳 After a long winter, we have begun our harvesting and processing season this month. Our processing facility has been officially certified organic and is cutting edge in the kelp industry—we can’t wait to show it to you!

Ironically enough, the day we got our hatchery taken off, we pulled up sugar kelp sorus tissue in our shrimp pots! The fishing season is upon us but kelp is the gift that keeps on giving 😊

Pictured here are co-founders Briana Murphy and Kristen Smith with our two new interns, Turbo and Diesel; sugar kelp sorus tissue, and the liftoff that marks the official end of hatchery season (a HUGE thank you to our friends at Harris Sand and Gravel here in Valdez for a safe sendoff!)

Ironically enough, the day we got our hatchery taken off, we pulled up sugar kelp sorus tissue in our shrimp pots! The fishing season is upon us but kelp is the gift that keeps on giving 😊

Pictured here are co-founders Briana Murphy and Kristen Smith with our two new interns, Turbo and Diesel; sugar kelp sorus tissue, and the liftoff that marks the official end of hatchery season (a HUGE thank you to our friends at Harris Sand and Gravel here in Valdez for a safe sendoff!)

It’s springtime in Alaska and some of us are already looking forward to the light at the end of the tunnel that is kelp farming season…summer is busy!!

We will be hosting a community engagement meeting TOMORROW at the Seward Community Library in the Meeting Room (on the second floor) from 7-8, but even if you’re overwhelmed by the onset of the summer season and can’t make it, you can learn more about the project by visiting our new website (link in bio)!

We hope to see you there tomorrow but please visit our website and send us a message if you’d like to learn more and get involved!

It’s springtime in Alaska and some of us are already looking forward to the light at the end of the tunnel that is kelp farming season…summer is busy!!

We will be hosting a community engagement meeting TOMORROW at the Seward Community Library in the Meeting Room (on the second floor) from 7-8, but even if you’re overwhelmed by the onset of the summer season and can’t make it, you can learn more about the project by visiting our new website (link in bio)!

We hope to see you there tomorrow but please visit our website and send us a message if you’d like to learn more and get involved!

Interested in farming kelp?

This upcoming fall, Mothers of Millions will be hosting a community seaweed farm on our commercial kelp farm site located in Pony Cove, at the southern end of Resurrection Bay. We hope to provide a platform to incorporate community members in the mariculture industry and provide a direct path to involvement for interested farmers by leasing grow-out lines on our farmsite space. End the year with your own harvestable kelp biomass or donate your kelp to aid the industry in product development!

Please join us for an informational meeting on Tuesday, April 25, 7 PM to 8 PM, in the Meeting Room at the Seward Library to learn more!

Interested in farming kelp?

This upcoming fall, Mothers of Millions will be hosting a community seaweed farm on our commercial kelp farm site located in Pony Cove, at the southern end of Resurrection Bay. We hope to provide a platform to incorporate community members in the mariculture industry and provide a direct path to involvement for interested farmers by leasing grow-out lines on our farmsite space. End the year with your own harvestable kelp biomass or donate your kelp to aid the industry in product development!

Please join us for an informational meeting on Tuesday, April 25, 7 PM to 8 PM, in the Meeting Room at the Seward Library to learn more!

Hello Instagram!

The Mothers of Millions team has been busy since we last shared with the world.

In our long social media pause, we spent last Fall operating our hatchery in Valdez to collaborate with Prince William Sound College to build an internship opportunity there… Now, we are getting ready to offer a community-based farming opportunity with the Seward Community Kelp Farm Project!

Pictured here are co-founders Kristin Smith and Briana Murphy onboard the Queen Mary last summer, the vessel that hosted our mobile hatchery in the fall ⛴️

Hello Instagram!

The Mothers of Millions team has been busy since we last shared with the world.

In our long social media pause, we spent last Fall operating our hatchery in Valdez to collaborate with Prince William Sound College to build an internship opportunity there… Now, we are getting ready to offer a community-based farming opportunity with the Seward Community Kelp Farm Project!

Pictured here are co-founders Kristin Smith and Briana Murphy onboard the Queen Mary last summer, the vessel that hosted our mobile hatchery in the fall ⛴️

The USDA Specialty Crop Block Grant application period opens March 1st-31st! Our mobile hatchery was funded by this program and we are so thankful to have the opportunity to test the viability of our hatchery idea.

We’d also like to thank @sewardchamber of Commerce, @michaelmahmood and Alutiiq Pride Hatchery, @exitmarine , @noaa , and Professor Umanzor with the University of Alaska Fairbanks, for their support for the grant and guidance getting our operation up and running.

With community support and USDA funding, we were able to try a variety of different fertilizers and light inputs on different tanks and grew over 8,000 feet of seeded string for a first-year Alaskan seaweed farmer.

Seaweed is considered a specialty crop, so for any interested or current seaweed farmers out there, we encourage you to look into the application process! Cheers to the development of a sustainable, Alaskan seaweed industry!

The USDA Specialty Crop Block Grant application period opens March 1st-31st! Our mobile hatchery was funded by this program and we are so thankful to have the opportunity to test the viability of our hatchery idea.

We’d also like to thank @sewardchamber of Commerce, @michaelmahmood and Alutiiq Pride Hatchery, @exitmarine , @noaa , and Professor Umanzor with the University of Alaska Fairbanks, for their support for the grant and guidance getting our operation up and running.

With community support and USDA funding, we were able to try a variety of different fertilizers and light inputs on different tanks and grew over 8,000 feet of seeded string for a first-year Alaskan seaweed farmer.

Seaweed is considered a specialty crop, so for any interested or current seaweed farmers out there, we encourage you to look into the application process! Cheers to the development of a sustainable, Alaskan seaweed industry!

The weeks after inoculating the tanks can be a terrifying time while waiting for signs of growth, but at least we have a beautiful view from the office!

After inoculation, the spools remained pretty barren for weeks. Although gametophytes can be visible under the microscope, it's hard to get a sense of how successful the coverage is on the spool.

Eventually, we were relieved to watch our pure white spools change to the even discoloration you pray for when growing seed string in a hatchery. Swipe to see the before and after photos of our spools!

The weeks after inoculating the tanks can be a terrifying time while waiting for signs of growth, but at least we have a beautiful view from the office!

After inoculation, the spools remained pretty barren for weeks. Although gametophytes can be visible under the microscope, it's hard to get a sense of how successful the coverage is on the spool.

Eventually, we were relieved to watch our pure white spools change to the even discoloration you pray for when growing seed string in a hatchery. Swipe to see the before and after photos of our spools!

It's time for an official “Meet our Founders” moment!

Co-Founder Briana Murphy grew up fishing with her family in Prince William Sound and has worked in a variety of fisheries throughout Alaska. She holds a Bachelor of Arts from Smith College in Comparative Literature and French Studies. Her liberal arts background has helped her to develop a holistic view of Alaska’s fisheries and coastal communities.

As the hatchery’s project manager, Briana oversees the hatchery's daily operations, including tank changes, monitoring pH and salinity levels of seawater, and mixing fertilizer solutions. Briana spends most of her spare time reading New Yorker articles to her cat, Cove, studying for bar trivia, and planning backpacking excursions all over the globe.

It's time for an official “Meet our Founders” moment!

Co-Founder Briana Murphy grew up fishing with her family in Prince William Sound and has worked in a variety of fisheries throughout Alaska. She holds a Bachelor of Arts from Smith College in Comparative Literature and French Studies. Her liberal arts background has helped her to develop a holistic view of Alaska’s fisheries and coastal communities.

As the hatchery’s project manager, Briana oversees the hatchery's daily operations, including tank changes, monitoring pH and salinity levels of seawater, and mixing fertilizer solutions. Briana spends most of her spare time reading New Yorker articles to her cat, Cove, studying for bar trivia, and planning backpacking excursions all over the globe.

Where does the “mobile” part of the mobile hatchery come into play? Our mobile hatchery was designed to fit harmoniously in with the end of the salmon fishing season. The boat is able to collect samples from farmers after its tender season and, with the mobile hatchery aboard, we are able to process samples on the way back to our autumnal base in Seward.

Here are Inoculation Day photos of co-founder and hatchery manager, Briana Murphy, testing a few pieces of sorus tissue and using the spores to inoculate the pre-soaked PVC tubes in our tanks. This year we processed and inoculated right in the Seward Harbor, but we hope to assist more farmers across Southcentral Alaska with our mobile operation in the seasons to come.

Where does the “mobile” part of the mobile hatchery come into play? Our mobile hatchery was designed to fit harmoniously in with the end of the salmon fishing season. The boat is able to collect samples from farmers after its tender season and, with the mobile hatchery aboard, we are able to process samples on the way back to our autumnal base in Seward.

Here are Inoculation Day photos of co-founder and hatchery manager, Briana Murphy, testing a few pieces of sorus tissue and using the spores to inoculate the pre-soaked PVC tubes in our tanks. This year we processed and inoculated right in the Seward Harbor, but we hope to assist more farmers across Southcentral Alaska with our mobile operation in the seasons to come.

What is the process for setting up a mobile hatchery on an off-season tender, you ask? With the help of our friends at Samson Tug & Barge, we craned an insulated conex onto the vessel's back deck for our hatchery space.

Swipe to see a photo of the early set up! We ran plumbing and electrical into the conex, then set up a sink on one side and aquariums on the other. Here you can see a somewhat-chaotic action shot as we soak our PVC to get ready to release some seaweed spores!

Almost 2 years of dreaming, planning, and research led up to this moment. It was an exciting and terrifying day!

What is the process for setting up a mobile hatchery on an off-season tender, you ask? With the help of our friends at Samson Tug & Barge, we craned an insulated conex onto the vessel's back deck for our hatchery space.

Swipe to see a photo of the early set up! We ran plumbing and electrical into the conex, then set up a sink on one side and aquariums on the other. Here you can see a somewhat-chaotic action shot as we soak our PVC to get ready to release some seaweed spores!

Almost 2 years of dreaming, planning, and research led up to this moment. It was an exciting and terrifying day!

We are Fisherman Fresh // Mothers of Millions, LLC and this trusty vessel is the Baroness. She primarily operates as a salmon tender for Bristol Bay and Prince William Sound, Alaska in the summers and this fall was the experimental base for a first-of-its-kind mobile seaweed hatchery. Did you know that there are only 4 hatcheries in the state of Alaska licensed to produce seed string for kelp farmers?

Kelp farming is a new sector in the state's mariculture industry that has the potential to create jobs for fishermen and fishing communities throughout the winter, combat ocean acidification, and provide a nursery for a variety of sea creatures!

We are Fisherman Fresh // Mothers of Millions, LLC and this trusty vessel is the Baroness. She primarily operates as a salmon tender for Bristol Bay and Prince William Sound, Alaska in the summers and this fall was the experimental base for a first-of-its-kind mobile seaweed hatchery. Did you know that there are only 4 hatcheries in the state of Alaska licensed to produce seed string for kelp farmers?

Kelp farming is a new sector in the state's mariculture industry that has the potential to create jobs for fishermen and fishing communities throughout the winter, combat ocean acidification, and provide a nursery for a variety of sea creatures!

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