The
history of the Alaska
Fisheries Science Center (AFSC) can be traced back to 1867 when Alaska, with its vast but untapped marine mammal and fishery resources, was purchased from Russia for $7.2 million. By 1872, U.S. Fish Commission scientists had conducted the first surveys ofnorthern fur seals on the Pribilof Islands in the Bering Sea, and in 1888 scientists aboard the U.S. Fish Commission vessel Albatross were conducting the first
fisheries investigations off the Alaska coast. Over 125 years later, research at the Alaska
Fisheries Science Center continues to expand and evolve from those early investigations. These pages present the historical timelines and accounts highlighting many key events and subjects that have shaped the
evolution of the Center as well as
fisheries research in Alaska. These chronologies are being compiled using material originally published in the AFSC Quarterly Report(since 1982), its predecessor Monthly Report (1971-1982), yearly Bureau of
Fisheries (BOF) reportsand many other sources. To complete the story, the name changes that the Center and its parent agencies have undergone since 1871 are also detailed here. Accounts are provided that trace the changes in the Center’s research divisions through several federal government reorganizations and as well as shifts in research responsibility. Photographs and images are also used to illustrate the science and activities of
fisheries employees working in Alaska since the 1800s.
Last Updated on: Nov 27, 2024