The Kodiak Laboratory resides in the Kodiak Fisheries Research Center owned by the Kodiak Island Borough. The Kodiak Laboratory within KFRC consolidates NOAA Fisheries and management programs in Kodiak and makes them more accessible to the fishing industry and the public.

The Kodiak Laboratory consists of Alaska Fisheries Science Center (AFSC) RACE Shellfish Assessment Program and Groundfish Assessment Program. Scientists for both Shellfish and Groundfish Assessment Programs conduct field and laboratory research on the abundance and distribution of marine invertebrate and fish populations, their life history, population dynamics, habitats, ecological interactions, and impacts of human activities such as bycatch, discard mortality, and habitat alteration. In addition, scientists at the Kodiak Lab provide information necessary to conserve, protect, and manage economically important Alaskan shellfish resources, including king, Tanner, and snow crabs, for the benefit of the nation.

The AFSC's Kodiak field office of the Fisheries Monitoring and Analysis Program (FMA), the Alaska Regional Office of the Sustainable Fisheries Division and port samplers from the Pacific Halibut Commission (IPHC) occupy space within Kodiak Lab.

The Kodiak Lab meets the needs for a base of operations for field research, expanding management and observer coordination in groundfish fisheries and timely cooperation with Alaska Department of Fish & Game (ADF&G) on shellfish surveys and fishery management decision-making.

The Kodiak Fisheries Research Center (KFRC) was designed to provide a multi-agency marine research facility that would foster marine fishery research as well as serve as a resource for providing educational opportunities to the Kodiak community.

The Kodiak Fisheries Research Center is on approximately seven acres in close proximity to the Fisheries Industrial Technology Center and Alaska Department of Fish & Game on Near Island. There are approximately 12,000 - 15,000 of people who visit the facility annually.

The 25,000 square foot facility consists of three buildings:

• A pump house
• Housing for visiting researchers and students
• The main building

The main building has:

• Offices
• Traditional laboratories
• State-of-the-art seawater lab, managed by the Shellfish Assessment Program staff
• Necropsy lab
• Public areas: Freestanding aquarium with touch tank, interpretive center, conference rooms

The main buiding houses an extensive museum collection containing the most common species of crabs, shrimps, marine snails, bivalves, and a variety of fishes.

The NOAA Fisheries W.F. Thompson Memorial Library (1800 sq ft) maintains about 6,500 bound volumes, 75 current periodicals, and 2,600 goverment documents on marine biology and fisheries.

See our list of regional links for information about Kodiak Lab affiliations and information.

To read about the Kodiak Lab history, click here

Kodiak Laboratory
301 Research Court
Kodiak, AK 99615

Road Directions to the Kodiak Laboratory from the Airport:

• When you meet the main road, leaving the airport, turn right.


• In Kodiak, go through the first light. At the Y, follow the right branch (Rezanof Drive East) up the hill.


• At the bridge, take a right and cross the bridge to Near Island.


• Once across the bridge, take your first left onto Trident Way, and continue past the Fisheries Industrial Technology Center (on your left). The next left will be the Kodiak Fisheries Research Center at 301 Research Court.