Executive Summary

Alaska's Kelp farming sector is at an inflection point. Farms are scaling from pilot plots to commercial-scale operations, but their ability to optimize growth area is limited by anchoring methods. Traditional anchors, such as concrete blocks, railroad wheels, drag embedment and mushroom anchors require long catenary scopes which consume valuable leased acreage while also being costly and disruptive to install. Farmers report that of a 22-acre lease, roughly a quarter to a third may actually be growing kelp as the rest is consumed by anchor spread and scope requirements.

AnchorBot™ presents a new solution: a remotely operated vehicle (ROV) designed to install helical anchors from vessels with as little as 20 feet of deck space. Helical anchors provide high lateral and vertical holding power, disturb only a small patch of seabed, and can be installed and removed within +/- 3 ft of their designed locations. By reducing scope requirements from 4+ : 1 down to 2:1 or less, helical anchors unlock two to four times more usable acreage within existing leases. This means a farm that currently harvests 40,000 pounds of kelp annually could scale to 135,000–270,000 pounds without expanding its lease.

The economics are equally compelling. AnchorBot eliminates the need for barges and cranes while installing 10+ anchors per day thereby reducing installation costs by 50–70 percent.

Farmers interviewed during site visits in Kodiak and Southeast Alaska expressed strong interest in adopting helicals, not only for kelp but also for oyster operations. Their priorities include year-round farm structures, near-benthic arrays that improve yield consistency, and potentially elastic mooring systems to reduce storm-related losses. AnchorBot's combination of speed, safety, and reliability makes these priorities achievable.

1. Industry Context

Anchoring is not a side detail in mariculture, it is the foundation that determines how farms are laid out, how much lease area can actually be used, and oceanographic & meteorological resiliency of the farm. In Alaska, most leases are large on paper, but their usable acreage is often as little as 25% of the total because anchor line scope occupies the majority of the lease.

Common anchoring methods, such as concrete blocks/ railroad wheels, Danforths and drag embedment anchors are reliable in shallow, calm conditions but become logistically prohibitive in deeper, tidal waters. These anchors require barges or A-Frames to install, divers for placement, and often end up 20 feet or more from the designated location. Misplaced anchors can require rework of the farm structural lines which are typically constructed on land prior to deployment. The anchor's large footprint and scope requirements further reduce the productive space available within a lease.

2. Market Context and Farmer Momentum

The mariculture sector in Alaska is poised for significant growth, but the realities of anchoring and logistics continue to constrain production. Discussions with farmers in Kodiak, Cordova and Juneau reveal the same pattern: lease sizes on paper appear large, but the acreage that actually produces kelp is a fraction of the total. Anchoring inefficiencies, compounded by downstream hurdles in shipping and processing, keep harvest volumes well below potential.

On Kodiak, a 17-acre lease produced 16,000 pounds of kelp last season, harvested from 1.2 acres of growing area. Prices vary: about $0.50 per pound for fresh kelp and $1 per pound for stabilized product (treated with citric acid and stored in IBC containers). For the upcoming season, the target is 100,000 pounds grown over 28,000 feet of line, a nearly tenfold increase. The primary obstacles are not biological, but logistical: shipping and processing costs threaten to erode margins and constrain expansion.

A similar dynamic is illustrated in Cordova on a 22-acre lease. In the 2024 season, 4–5 acres were actively used of which a single array measuring 75 by 400 feet (~1 acre) produced kelp. This generated 40,000 pounds of harvest, sold at approximately $1 per pound (stabilized), yielding $40,000 in revenue. For 2025, Cordova based farms are targeting 75,000–100,000 pounds per lease, but they estimate that with more efficient anchoring they forecast increasing each farm's harvest up to 135,000–270,000 pounds annually.

3. Technical Basis for Helical Anchors and AnchorBot

Helical Anchors

Helical anchors have been used for decades in terrestrial and offshore industries because of their high holding power, minimal footprint, and ease of installation. Unlike blocks, which rely on sheer mass, helicals derive strength from embedment. Installed to a specified torque, they lock into mud, sand, or volcanic ash substrates, which in Alaska often "cement" the anchor in place.

Helicals resist both vertical and lateral loads. They do not "walk" across the seabed under tension like drag anchors, and they can be bridled in groups of two to four to achieve higher holding power. Because installation is verified by real-time torque readings, all stakeholders can have confidence that each anchor meets its design load.

The AnchorBot Solution

AnchorBot is a compact, remotely operated system designed to install helical anchors from small vessels to a maximum depth of 330 ft. Any boat with a davit is sufficient for deployment; no barges or cranes are required. Mobilization takes three to four hours, and the system is portable by a two-person crew.

AnchorBot installs more than ten anchors per day under typical conditions. Each anchor can be placed with acoustic positioning for increased accuracy, while real-time video and torque feedback confirm proper installation. Anchors can also be reversed for farm relocation or decommissioning, avoiding the "orphaned blocks" that litter many existing sites.

Environmental Benefits

The environmental case for helicals is strong. Unlike blocks or wheels, which crush benthic habitat and leach materials over time, helicals disturb only a narrow column of seabed as they screw into place. They avoid cement leaching, corroded steel, and the broad drag scars of traditional anchors. Helicals do not require bottom chain in the mooring line, and therefore can have a line depart the anchor head at a steep angle upward, preventing benthic damage from mooring line dragging.

5. Economics

The economics of Alaska's kelp farming industry are currently constrained less by biology than by infrastructure. The three case studies in Cordova, Kodiak and Juneau, illustrate the structural mismatch between lease size, usable acreage, and actual harvests.

Near Cordova, a 22-acre lease produced only 40,000 pounds of kelp in 2024, harvested from approximately one acre of effective growing area. With kelp selling for about $1 per pound, this equated to $40,000 in gross revenue. While the farm is targeting 75,000–100,000 pounds for 2025, analysis suggests that with improved anchoring and more efficient lease utilization, the true capacity could be 135,000–270,000 pounds annually.

When these three case studies are viewed together, a consistent picture emerges: Farmers are paying for 17–25 acre leases but using only 0.6–1.2 acres effectively. Harvest volumes range from 16,000–40,000 pounds annually, far below what the leases could support. Productivity per acre is strong, ranging from 13,000 to 60,000 pounds per acre but this potential is not realized at scale because anchoring systems consume most of the lease footprint.

AnchorBot™ and helical anchors directly change this economic equation. The scope reduction alone would allow farmers to free up to four times more usable acreage within their existing leases. At current pricing, this would shift revenue potential from tens of thousands of dollars into the hundreds of thousands, fundamentally changing the viability of their operations.

8. Why Helicals and AnchorBot Are the Right Solution

Helical anchors align with the needs of Alaska mariculture. They embed securely in mud, sand, and volcanic ash substrates, which are common across farm sites. By reducing scope, they unlock two to four times more usable lease area, allowing farmers to expand production without expanding leases. Their installation is faster, safer, and cheaper than traditional methods, requiring only small vessels and no divers.

Environmental regulators benefit from their minimal footprint and removability, while insurers benefit from their predictable performance and reduced failure rates. Farmers benefit from lower costs, higher yields, and the ability to innovate with benthic and year-round arrays.

Conclusion

Alaska's kelp and oyster farming sectors are at a pivotal stage, moving from small-scale demonstration projects to commercial operations that can anchor a new blue economy for the state. Yet across every farm examined in this report, the same pattern emerges: large leases on paper are being used at a fraction of their potential, not because of biology or market demand, but because of anchoring inefficiencies.

AnchorBot™ and helical anchoring systems offer a direct and scalable solution. By reducing scope requirements from 4:1 to 2:1 or less, helicals can free up two to four times more usable space within existing leases. This not only unlocks production potential — shifting harvests from tens of thousands to hundreds of thousands of pounds per farm — but also transforms the economics of Alaska's mariculture industry by lowering installation costs, reducing risk, and providing regulators with a low-impact, reversible anchoring option.

The path forward is clear. By launching targeted pilot deployments, establishing regional hubs, and re-engineering AnchorBot for topside power to overcome logistical hurdles, Alaska can position itself as a global leader in sustainable mariculture. With support from farmers, regulators, and investors, AnchorBot can transform underutilized leases into productive water, strengthen local economies, and help build the resilient ocean farming systems needed for the decades ahead.

Acknowledgments

We extend our sincere gratitude to Schmidt Marine Technology Partners for their generous funding, which has made this work possible. We also thank the Alaska Fisheries Development Foundation (AFDF) for their leadership in coordinating meetings with farmers and stakeholders, and for providing invaluable feedback and guidance throughout this process.