Kodiak Seafood and Marine Science Center

Kodiak Seafood and Marine Science Center

UAF’s Kodiak Seafood and Marine Science Center (KSMSC) is located on the Trident Basin, on Near Island in Kodiak, Alaska. KSMSC works year-round to discover better methods to harvest, preserve, process, and package Alaska’s rich ocean bounty. With a state-of-the-art seafood research and development facility, KSMSC has research kitchens, biochemistry labs and food labs with experimental seafood processing equipment researchers use to test production techniques and develop new seafood products. KSMSC staff work closely with the industry to convey research results and provide educational opportunities that help seafood workers improve efficiency and the quality of their products.

About KSMSC

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 upward of $3.0 billion annually.

Created by the Alaska Legislature in 1981, Kodiak Seafood and Marine Science Center (originally named the Fishery Industrial Technology Center, 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, KSMSC is housed in a 20,000 sq. ft. state-of-the-art facility built on Near Island in 1991.

KSMSC promotes 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

More than 75% of Alaska's 731,000 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.

• Kodiak MAP agent:
  • Julie Matweyou: harmful algal blooms, marine safety, and economic development in the Kodiak region.
• Statewide MAP Specialists:
  • Seafood Marketing: Quentin Fong
  • Seafood Technology Specialist: Chris Sannito
  • Mariculture: Melissa Good

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