Prince William Sound Kelp Mariculture Development: Nutrient Data at Multiple Kelp Test Sites, 2022-2024

These data are part of Chugach Regional Resources Commission’s (CRRC) Prince William Sound Kelp Mariculture Development for Habitat Restoration and Local Economy project. These data reflect nutrient concentrations in water samples collected at operational kelp research sites during the 2022-2023 and 2023-2024 growing seasons. These data consist of measurements of quantities of nitrate, ammonia, total phosphate, and silicate obtained from samples collected at CRRC and Native Conservancy’s (NC) kelp test site locations. Samples were collected at the water’s surface level and at 3 meters below the water’s surface. Samplers used a Niskin bottle to collect samples at depth; samples were collected and stored in a cool, dark location, until samplers returned from the field, where samples were immediately frozen. Frozen samples collected on the Eastern side of Prince William Sound by Native Conservancy’s sampling team were sent on ice in coolers to CRRC’s lab facility in Seward at the Alutiiq Pride Marine Institute. Samples collected on the Western side of Prince William Sound were driven to the Alutiiq Pride Marine Institute from landings at the Port of Whittier or Port of Seward. All samples received at APMI were frozen until they could be logged and sent to Alaska Water Labs in Wasilla for analysis. Test site locations include two sites on the Western side of Prince William Sound, Latouche and Fox Farm and multiple sites on the Eastern side of Prince William Sound, including Simpson Bay, Sheep Bay, Port Gravina, Tatitlek Narrows, and Port Etches. Three, 100-foot grow lines of three different species of kelp were outplanted at each test site. Species outplanted included sugar kelp (Saccharina latissima), ribbon kelp (Alaria marginata), bull kelp (Nereocystis luetkeana), and three-ribbed kelp (Cymathere triplicata). These data are collated here in numerical, table form, and also converted to boxplots to provide a more visual demonstration of nutrient levels sampled throughout the growing season.