Located in Seward, Alaska, the Seward Marine Center conducts educational activities and programs to broaden the knowledge of all aspects of marine life throughtout Alaska and encourages the responsible use and conservation of coastal and marine ecosystems. Photo credit: Jennifer Elhard.
Seward Marine Center
The primary coastal facility of the UAF School of Fisheries and Ocean Sciences is the Seward Marine Center, located approximately 130 miles south of Anchorage at the head of Resurrection Bay.
The Seward Marine Center (SMC) is the only university-owned marine station in Alaska and the northern-most university marine station in the United States.
SMC provides access to salt water laboratories and the coastal environment. There are excellent laboratories, constant temperature chambers and a running seawater system. There is also a 4-plex apartment unit for visiting scientists. Scientists from other institutions are welcome to apply for research visits to the facility.
The "Seward Campus"
The Seward Marine Center and UAF faculty at the Alaska SeaLife Center work closely to provide support for 13 graduate students on what is often called the "Seward Campus" of the UAF School of Fisheries and Ocean Sciences.
Co-located with the Alaska SeaLife Center and the Alutiiq Pride Shellfish Hatchery, the "Seward Campus" is a central feature in the community of Seward and the Kenai Peninsula.
Established in 1970, the Seward Marine Center is one of Alaska's primary docking facilities for marine research vessels and was the home port for the 133 foot R/V Alpha Helix for 25 years.
SMC staff provide essential laboratory space, accommodations, and office support for Alaska's visiting marine and fisheries scientists, UAF graduate students and coastal support for the staff and faculty of the UAF School of Fisheries and Ocean Sciences.
Mission
The Seward Marine Center is a major marine experimental facility operated by the University of Alaska Fairbanks' School of Fisheries and Ocean Sciences. SMC's mission is to support research vessel operations, shore-based fishery and marine science research and educational resources for our scientists.
Seward Marine Center News:
Oliver to lead Seward Marine Center