Kodiak Ocean Bounty Grows Oysters in Rural Alaska

Erik O'Brien and daughters at Kodiak Ocean Bounty farm in Larsen Bay, Alaska (Courtesy of Kodiak Ocean Bounty.)

An Accidental Oyster Farmer

On Alaska's Kodiak Island, in a nested bay, surrounded by green mountains, lies the city of Larsen Bay, population 34. It's in this remote community that Erik O'Brien was raised, fishing for salmon and spending time on the water. It's also where his farm, Kodiak Ocean Bounty, grows millions of oysters annually.

"Kodiak Island is a marine economy," said O'Brien. "Fishing is a lifestyle here, but it's a maturing industry, with jobs and opportunities leaving rural villages for larger communities. These communities are beautiful, but there aren't many jobs."

The son of two community development workers, O'Brien felt called to follow in their footsteps. He obtained his master's degree in economics and pursued a professional career in community development, while never missing a fishing season in Larsen Bay. A self-described "accidental farmer," he's drawn to aquaculture by a desire to create sustainable jobs.

Pacific oysters are not native to Alaska. The water is too cold for them to reproduce naturally. This means that all the oyster seed, called spat, must be purchased from hatcheries and shipped to farms. However, the cold water and abundant plankton of Alaska mean that farmed oysters grow very well in the summer. While they don't grow in the winter, the cold weather creates a uniquely sweet oyster meat, and they can be harvested year-round.

"[In Alaska] you get this real dichotomy of environmental abundance and struggling economies, but there's so much opportunity for aquaculture if we do it right," said O'Brien.

Farming Alaskan Oysters from Tide to Table

On the water at Kodiak Ocean Bounty oyster farm (Courtesy of Kodiak Ocean Bounty.)

Kodiak Ocean Bounty planted 4 million oysters in Larsen Bay in 2023. O'Brien sells his product mostly through a shellfish cooperative in Homer, catering to the larger tourist industry. Like wine, oysters are shaped by their environment. Larsen Bay's cold productive water helps create a unique product.

"One of the first things consumers notice about my oysters is the deep, hard, shell that doesn't splinter when shucked," said O'Brien. He describes their taste as buttery, briny, and sweet. "I think the secret sauce to these oysters is putting them through that winter strain. It toughens them up and makes them extra sweet."

A deeply cupped oyster from Kodiak Ocean Bounty farm (Courtesy of Kodiak Ocean Bounty.)

When describing his business, O'Brien repeatedly emphasizes the importance of 'anchoring' oysters in rural Alaska. This ensures resource value flows back to the community, and channels investment into infrastructure and people. It creates a sense of pride around the oysters, anchoring jobs in the community, and bringing resources back into the town.

Kodiak Ocean Bounty is one of the few year-round employers in Larsen Bay, employing three part-time farmers and six working in their laboratory, with plans to grow. Kodiak Ocean Bounty hopes to increase employment in Larsen Bay, allowing displaced residents to return home.

One of the ways he's working to achieve this is by helping the city of Larsen Bay to acquire a floating upweller system. These systems serve as nurseries for small and delicate oysters, using a paddle to push algae-rich water over growing shellfish. Owned by the city and supported by a network of partnerships and grants, it will support the harbor and aquaculture growers in the community.

"Aquaculture is creating jobs that people can be happy with and proud of in Larsen Bay," said O'Brien. "It feels really good to be part of a solution after seeing so much decline in our rural coastal communities."

A Family Farm in a Changing Climate

Hard at work on the family oyster farm (Courtesy of Kodiak Ocean Bounty.)

Kodiak Ocean Bounty is a family business. O'Brien met his wife, a "California girl" who came to Larsen Bay for a summer and stayed for a lifetime. The O'Brien family, including two daughters, live on the water, sorting shellfish and stomping around in the mud. They're proud to be a new kind of family farm. Their two girls also help with their salmon fishing operation.

A day in the life of an oyster farmer (Courtesy of Kodiak Ocean Bounty.)

Like many fishers, O'Brien's salmon operation is experiencing the impacts of climate change. Yet at the same time, warming waters create a longer growing season for oysters. O'Brien grapples with this conflicting reality. "Climate change is an opportunity for a new way of life, but an absolute threat to our current way of life. We must adapt to survive," said O'Brien.

Looking towards the future, O'Brien hopes to expand Kodiak Ocean Bounty into a multi-species operation. It would grow shellfish, seaweeds, and marine invertebrates such as sea cucumbers together in harmony with the environment. He feels that Alaska is poised to benefit from aquaculture expansion. And he hopes that young people-including his daughters-can see themselves as part of a larger, climate-resilient industry in rural communities.

"At a very basic level, I'm proud to be able to farm food that's sustainable. My daughters help on the farm, and we're growing oysters, feeding people. It's tangible, and it feels really good,'' said O'Brien.

Aquaculture Fun Fact

As of the 2020 census, the City of Larsen Bay Alaska has a population of 34. That means there are roughly 140,000 times more oysters than people in Larsen Bay!

Recipe

Freshly shucked Pacific oyster at Kodiak Ocean Bounty Farm (Courtesy of Kodiak Ocean Bounty.)

Like many oyster growers, Erik O'Brien believes the best way to eat his oysters is raw, with a splash of hot sauce and a squeeze of lemon.

NOAA's Tide to Table series profiles members of the aquaculture community, who provide valuable jobs and increase access to fresh, sustainably sourced American seafood.