AK SCR7

Alaska's seafood industry employs 60,000 workers annually with $1.6 billion in annual earnings and generated $1.9 billion in harvest value and $4.2 billion in first wholesale value in 2014.

The Kodiak Seafood and Marine Science Center (formerly Fishery Industrial Technology Center) was established in state statute in 1981 as part of the University of Alaska to provide teaching, research, and services to the seafood industry.

In fiscal year 2016, the center provided workforce training to 265 industry members, educational opportunities to 25 graduate and undergraduate students, and technical assistance to over 70 seafood businesses, tribes, and communities.

The center operates in the Alfred Owen Building, a 20,000 square foot facility constructed in 1991 using $10.8 million from the state's Exxon Valdez Oil Spill settlement, featuring five dedicated laboratories, a 5,000 square foot pilot plant, and three freezers.

The legislature strongly supports the Kodiak Seafood and Marine Science Center and urges the University of Alaska to maintain the center as a statewide hub for research, training, and technical assistance to support fisheries across the state.