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:
- Economic development in the Kodiak Region: Julie Matweyou
- Statewide MAP Specialists:
- Seafood Marketing: Quentin Fong
- Seafood Technology Specialist: Chris Sannito
News
Kodiak Area Marine Science Symposium 2021
We are pleased to continue the Kodiak Area Marine Science Symposium (KAMSS) as a virtual event in 2021. Last year KAMSS was canceled due to…
Read MoreCan mushrooms replace Styrofoam and keep the oceans cleaner?
A University of Alaska Anchorage researcher who hopes to curb ocean pollution thinks fungi might have a useful role to play. Philippe Amstislavski, an associate…
Read MoreSmoked Seafood School 2019
Note date change: October 17–18 This two-day workshop is for anyone interested in smoking and processing fish, including home fish-smoking enthusiasts, small smokehouse operators, fishermen…
Read MoreNew technology could boost surimi profits and cut waste
Tyre Lanier has spent four decades becoming an expert in surimi, or what some call “fake crab.” The North Carolina professor knows practically everything there…
Read MoreKSMSC News
Kodiak Staff & Faculty