"I love the science. I have a background in it. But being a farmer lets me do research as a hobby. I thought I’d need to go back to school for six years to become a researcher. Turns out, you can just start a kelp farm,” Duner reflects.
"We get to experiment, collect samples, run analytics – and then climb onto a boat and physically harvest what we’ve been studying... It’s not lab science in the traditional sense, but it’s definitely science – just with more saltwater and sunshine,” she adds.
Duner and Antoni currently operate four arrays: two suspended catenary arrays and two experimental benthic arrays, anchored to the seafloor. The experimental setups test everything from depth and spacing of seeded lines to structural designs for kelp growth.
"We're testing out seeding density and depth of bull kelp," Duner says. "This year, we brought the kelp shallower and increased the spacing between the seed lines. When they’re spaced out, they grow into these columns that are easier to harvest. They're stronger, and we see a larger phenotype, which is what we're going for."
"Last year, we noticed plants wrapped around the lines and stayed smaller. With more spacing, they formed pods, and there was less loss from friction damage,” she adds.
That larger phenotype – kelp with big bulbs and long stipes – is key to Sea Quester’s value-added products.
"We're attempting to make freeze-dried bull kelp rings that are kind of like onion rings. We'll be serving miso soup with tofu and kelp rings. The idea is to get kelp to the masses,” Duner explains.
They are also in the process of developing kelp-salmon burgers, although they need to work out how to reduce the iodine content, to keep them below the legal threshold.
Sea Quester is supported by research grants from the Alaska Fisheries Development Foundation (AFDF), which funds their experimentation and requires regular data collection. One such project involves compound analysis of kelps grown across different Alaskan regions.
Every month, Sea Quester measures kelp growth rates on their lines, tracking biomass development to forecast yields for buyers.
"We weigh a one-foot section of kelp and record it. Last season, our bull kelp went from two pounds per foot to 16 pounds per foot in three weeks. That’s why we grow so much of it,” Duner explains.
Farming the ocean isn’t without its trials, however.
"This array gave me a run for my money this year. Knots I thought the ocean couldn’t untie, it did. The buoys moved, bars floated. Every time I came out, something had shifted,” she recalls.
The species that they’ve chosen, bull kelp, is proving particularly challenging, due to its buoyancy.
As Sea Quester’s founder, Jonny Antoni – a commercial fisherman, who sees kelp farming as the perfect way to supplement his income – explains. "Bull kelp is a unique species... it grows really well [in Alaska], but farming it has proven pretty difficult because of its buoyancy. It provides somewhere between 5 and 12 pounds per foot of buoyancy. And so if you have a 200-foot line, that's over a thousand pounds of buoyancy minimum."
As a result, they have had to get creative in their approaches to cultivation.
"Which, if you want to add a thousand pounds to an array, the ability to do that economically is not viable... unless you have millions of dollars worth of equipment. With this experiment, my hope is to do minimal weighting, but then space the bull kelp out to reduce the buoyancy and see if that could work,” Antoni elaborates.
"Jonny does all the structural operations and experimental design. I mainly handle the logistics, management and data collection. We just bought a 34-foot landing craft so we can harvest 6,000 pounds in one go,” Duner adds.
Given the enthusiasm and charisma of Duner, it’s no surprise that Seaquester has become a magnet for fellow female farmers.
As one of Sea Quester’s first employees, Kaitlyn Tolin, reflects: "One thing that I have learned a lot through working with men is that they're very confident and they continue to move forward boldly, even if it's maybe in the wrong direction, And I think there's also some beauty in that.
"That's something that I have learned — to have a balance... to really be confident in myself and confident in my skills and my knowledge and use that to my advantage. Oftentimes, it surprises me and it surprises the guys that I'm working with. And I think that's something that women just need to remember to continue to do – to pave that path for other women behind them as well."
The company has also fired the imagination of many idealistic, innovative and outdoorsy students and young scientists.
"A lot of university students reach out wanting to work on the farm. Some want to farm, some want to research. I tell them, this is the perfect space for a creative person,” Duner says.
"If you want a community willing to hear your ideas and implement them, this is it. It's very innovative. It satisfies an economy and helps change the way we gather resources. That’s a good reason to get into it – to make sure you have a better future,” she concludes.
