Innovative Marine Solutions
Key Services
Our Services
Seed Banking of Kelp
We specialize in acquiring, authenticating, and distributing natural macroalgal germplasm for global use, supporting biodiversity preservation through seed banking.
pioneering efforts of Michael Neushul
started back in 1970s, and preserved by
his later graduate student Raymong
Lewis (Wheaton College). It contains
half-a century old specimens of giant,
bull, feather boa and other kelps,
including more recent additions. The
seedbanking efforts have been renewed
in 2018, funded by Arpa-E and lead by
the team of Filipe Alberto (University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee) and
including labs in University of Santa Barbara of Dan Reed and Bob Miller, and University of Southern California Sergey Nuzhdin – this collection contains over half a thousand giant kelp natural variants. Filipe Alberto andPete Raimondi also developed a sizable collection of bull kelp, that is kept inAquarium of Pacific and will be mirrored by AltaSeads Conservancy. Collections in development will focus on golden kombu – Laminaria farlowii– and ribbon Alaria marginata – kelps.
Selection Breeding
We use selection breeding techniques to produce kelps with specified properties, facilitating restoration of lost kelp beds and controlling gene flow.
has been built from working with many
land crops. We have collaborated with
Rajinder Singh of Malaysian Oil Palm
Board on hybrids of American and
African oil palms. We were led by
Douglas Cook of University of California
at Davis in sampling wild chickpea
biodiversity in fertile crescent, and
interbreeding these natural genotypes with varieties of chickpea cultivated worldwide. Jointly with MariaSamsonova group from Sant Petersburg State Polytechnic University, we haveled the scientists of Vavilov Institute of Plant Resources – the oldest seedbank in existence – in utilizing genomics tools in uncovering potential ofancient crops: sunflower, mung bean, and soy. Moving to macroalgae, wehave been much impressed by peculiarities of their reproduction system thathas a strong potential to accelerate breeding, and to make farmingenvironmentally friendly – by relying on naturally seedless varieties.
Outreach and Education
We welcome K12 students for facility tours and offer educational programs on aquaculture and marine science, promoting environmental awareness and knowledge sharing. BY THE BY...
at computer screens (like you are doing now). AltaSeads believes that
education shall be active, by seeing how kelps grow at our “research and
education barge”, setting crosses of different races and species in our lab, and
– yes – cleaning tanks in our aquaculture systems to make sure kelp grows
well. We collaborate with education programs lead by AltaSea and take our
trainees to an offshore aquaculture farm run by our partner Pacific6. With
this practical angle, modern analysis of natural variation is heavily model- and computation- based; our practicescombine geospatial analysis, populationgenetics, quantitative genetics, machinelearning – all based on bigenvironmental, phenotypic, andgenomic data. We welcome trainees ofall ages and science sophistication, aslong as they are ready to get their handswet, in addition to their minds open tochallenge.
Biobanking of Microbes
We biobank kelp-associated microbes to help preserve the symbiotic relationships that support kelp forest ecosystems.
Research Collaboration
We collaborate with marine research institutions to generate data on macroalgal genetic variants, supporting eco-friendly solutions and aquafarming advancements.
Community Engagement
We outreach and host visitors to promote awareness and inspire interest in aquaculture, marine science, and our seed bank facility in local communities.