JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) – Large oyster farms have been proposed for southeast Alaska, marking potential growth in marine life cultivation for food that a state task force has projected could be a $100 million industry.

Silver Bay Seafoods has been working on securing a 10-year lease on 182 acres (74 hectares) of seafloor near Sitka from the state Department of Natural Resources, CoastAlaska reported Tuesday.

State agencies are reviewing the application by the seafood company, which has been buying and processing fish at its plant in Sitka for the past decade. The company’s proposal is avail...