About Kodiak Seafood and Marine Science Center
After three decades as the Fisheries Industrial Technology Center, the School of Fisheries and Ocean Sciences Kodiak facility will now be called the Kodiak Seafood and Marine Science Center. University of Alaska Board of Regents approved the change in December 2011 with the support of the SFOS dean, UAF chancellor and UA president.
The name change was recommended at the end of a program review conducted in 2011 and is intended to more fully describe the work being done at the center. The Fishery Industrial Technology Center was created in 1981 by the Alaska Legislature to provide research support for Alaska's seafood industry. The program was one of several grouped together to create the UAF School of Fisheries and Ocean Sciences in 1987.
The mission of the UAF Kodiak Seafood and Marine Science Center is to increase the value of Alaska's fishing industry and marine resources through research, technological development, education and service.
Alaska's commercial fishing industry
Alaska accounts for more than 60% of the continental shelf area and more than half the shoreline of the entire United States. Alaska's share of wild fish harvested for human food is about 75% of the US total, worth upwards of $3.0 billion annually.
Created by the Alaska Legislature in 1981, Kodiak Seafood and Marine Science Center (formerly FITC) works with the industry to develop new solutions to industry's problems. We direct our efforts in five areas: seafood harvesting technology, seafood processing technology, seafood quality and safety, contaminants, and collaborative ecosystems research.
Located in Kodiak, Alaska, at the center of Alaska's fishing industry, the KSMSC is housed in a 20,000 sq. ft. state-of-the-art facility built on Near Island in 1991.
Promoting the sustainable use of Alaska fisheries through collaborative research, application, education and information transfer in areas of:
Seafood safety
- Safe handling and preservation techniques
- Spoilage: factors affecting shelf life and microbial growth
- Marine biotoxins: Harmful Algal Blooms, such as PSP and domoic acid
Seafood quality
- Nutritional content
- Effects of capture, handling and processing procedures
- Effects of changing ocean conditions
Bycatch reduction
- Gear and techniques to reduce capture of non-target species, including marine mammals
Product markets and development
- Novel and enhanced markets for underutilized species
- Non-consumptive uses: biodiesel, pharmaceuticals
- Adding value through post-processing enhancement
- Full utilization of seafood byproducts
- Technology transfer
Environmental concerns
- Offal discharge management
- Energy-efficient processing
- Competition between humans, commercial interests and protected species
Marine Advisory Program extension
- Kodiak MAP Agent:
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Julie Matweyou – Supporting economic development in the Kodiak region
- Statewide MAP Specialists:
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Marine Mammals – Kate Wynne
Seafood Marketing – Quentin Fong
Seafood Technology – Chuck Crapo
More than 75% of Alaska's 710,000 residents live on the coastline. Marine Advisory Program scientists work within these communities to increase economic diversification and to conserve marine resources through access to technical assistance and training.
KSMSC Monthly Activity Reports
The KSMSC faculty and staff provide monthly updates for those interested in the teaching, research and public service at KSMSC. Please contact us with questions.
- ASG December 2011
- September 2011
- August 2011
- July 2011
- June 2011
- May 2011
- May 2011 +
- April 2011
- March 2011
- February 2011
- January 2011
- December 2010
- November 2010
