The Prince William Sound Economic Development District, in the US state of Alaska, is mulling the benefits of a creating a new cold storage facility.

The Cordova Times reports that a group of community members from the region met to discuss the idea at a meeting convened by the data firm McKinley Research Group (MRG) in late July. The newspaper reports that members of the groups Cordova District Fishermen United and the Copper River Prince William Sound Marketing Association were also in attendance.

Attendees speculated that the facility could attract more business from other parts of the Gulf of Alaska, as well as help boost the region's kelp industry, according to the article.

Staff from MRG also toured a local seafood processor as part of their visit to the region to explore the concept, which could possibly be a public-private partnership open to different businesses and community members

"It's something that Cordova has been working on for many years and I'm glad to see it move forward," Seawan Gehlbach, owner of the Simpson Bay Oyster Company, told the newspaper. "It's really great to have that option if I wanted to expand volume because I have limited space right now. I think there's a lot of efficiency in shared spaces so it's helpful for small businesses."