In this episode we explore mariculture and politics with a focus on the 2026 Alaska Governor’s race. I get perspectives from three candidates (out of the 12? currently running): Tom Begich, Click Bishop and James Parkin.

CORRECTION: WHOOPS! In the podcast I mentioned there are two Democrats in the race so far, as I was editing the episode another one joined the race. https://alaskabeacon.com/2026/02/04/alaskas-governor-race-picks-up-16th-candidate-a-former-state-legislator-from-sitka/

Vocab words!

* Mariculture - farming in the ocean, uually pertaining to seaweed and shellfish farming.

* Kelp - a type of seaweed, such as bull kelp, sugar kelp or macrocystis (giant kelp).

* King Salmon (aka Chinook) - the largest Pacific Salmon.

* Seaweed - large algae that grows in the ocean.

* Serreptitious Recording - I jokingly refer to this in the intro, it means a secret recording that not all parties in a conversation know about.

* Subsistence Lifestyle - living off food one harvests on their own from the land and sea.

Alaskan Shellfish

* Cockles

* Clam

* Scallop

PSP Terms

* Harmful Algal Bloom (HAB)

* Paralytic Shellfish Poisoning

Links!

Register to Votehttps://www.elections.alaska.gov/voter-information/#Reg

Alaska Governor CandidatesTom Begich

* In local news: https://www.kcaw.org/2025/11/10/gubernatorial-candidate-tom-begich-tours-southeast-for-community-conversations/

* Campaign website: https://www.tombegichforalaska.com/

Click Bishop

* In local news: https://sitkasentinel.com/stories/candidate-click-bishop-says-schools-priority,84238

* Campaign website: https://www.clickbishopforgovernor.com/

James Parkin

* In local news: https://www.ktoo.org/2025/07/16/angoon-resident-and-former-teacher-launches-bid-for-alaska-governor/

* Campaign website: https://www.jp4gov.org/

Alaska Aquaculture Semester at University of Alaska Southeast Sitka Campus

* Program and Application Info: https://aquaculturesemester.alaska.edu/index.html

* Local news story: https://www.kcaw.org/2026/01/06/uas-applied-fisheries-program-offers-new-class-focusing-on-alaska-aquaculture/

Alaska Politics

https://alaskapublic.org/news/politics/alaska-legislature/2025-11-11/anchorage-state-sen-matt-claman-is-second-democrat-in-alaska-governors-race

Alaska Permanent Fund

* https://www.investopedia.com/terms/a/alaska-permanent-fund.asp

* https://apfc.org/

King Salmon

* https://www.uaf.edu/news/salmon-body-size-linked-to-declines.php

* https://alaskapublic.org/news/2024-05-10/southeast-alaska-not-ready-for-a-hatchery-only-king-fishery-study-finds

* https://alaskabeacon.com/briefs/another-bust-year-for-yukon-river-king-salmon-returns-sonar-counters-show/

* https://www.adfg.alaska.gov/index.cfm?adfg=chinook.printerfriendly

* https://www.usgs.gov/centers/alaska-science-center/science/heat-stress-alaskas-pacific-salmon

* https://alaskabeacon.com/2026/01/27/southeast-alaska-trollers-question-federal-courts-award-to-plaintiffs-in-chinook-suit/

Paralytic Shellfish Poison (PSP)

https://ahab.aoos.org/ahab-network/

Previous Mariculture Minutes on PSP

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