Aquatic Farm Leasing
General Information

It is a ten-year limited property right granted by the Alaska Department of Natural Resources (DNR) that allows a lessee to develop the state's tide and submerged lands into a shellfish or aquatic plant farm.

This statewide program is jointly administered by three state agencies, including the Department of Natural Resources (DNR), Division of Mining Land and Water (DMLW), Southcentral Regional Land Office (SCRO), the Alaska Department of Fish and Game (ADF&G), and the Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation (ADEC). DNR will authorize an aquatic farmsite lease for the use of state tidelands, ADF&G authorizes permits for aquatic farm operations, stock transport, stock acquisition, seed source approval, special area permits, and wild stock harvest permits. Activities covered by ADEC include water quality classification, shellfish harvester permits, processing and shipper permits, paralytic shellfish poisoning testing, export certifications, and authorizations for dive boats to be used for shellfish harvesting. Other state, federal, or municipal authorizations may be needed after obtaining authorization from DNR.