As an Eyak Athabascan man born into a fishing family on Alaska’s Prince William Sound, Dune Lankard spent decades at work as a subsistence and commercial seafood harvester. Then in the wake of the Exxon Valdez Oil Spill disaster of 1989, which devastated the environment, Lankard’s goal became protecting the lands and waters of Prince William Sound. His mission, as he sees it, is feeding people, restoring the ocean and building a regenerative economy.
“Being a fisherman, I always felt that I was a provider and that everyone has their roles in their community, and especially in tribal communities,” Lankard said. “So I felt that ocean farming, both kelp and mariculture, could have a different importance of not only feeding our people, but helping heal and restore the ocean in the process.”