KMXT 100.1 FM Public Radio in Kodiak, Alaska
Kayla Desroches/KMXT
Programs around the state have been under threat of closure due to budget issues, and in the City of Kodiak, the future of one seafood research and training center has also been uncertain. But that may change if a resolution to save the center passes.
The Kodiak Seafood and Marine Science Center, which opened in 1981 as the Fishery Industrial Technology Center, boasts laboratories, classroom areas, and a large pilot seafood processing plant.
Over the last few years, the University of Alaska has repeatedly said it may need to cut off funding to that institution, and community members – including multiple local task forces – have been fighting to prevent that.
Last week, the Alaska House of Representatives passed a resolution from Kodiak Representative Louise Stutes and local partners, “urging the University of Alaska to keep the Kodiak Seafood and Marine Science Center operating as a stable resource in the state.” House Concurrent Resolution 8 touches on both the Center’s history and its current relevance to technical and professional development within the seafood industry.
According to a press release from Stutes’ office, HCR 8 passed the Alaska House of Representatives on Friday with a 40 – 0 vote and it heads next to the Alaska Senate.
