Kasitsna Bay Laboratory is a marine research facility named after a shallow embayment on the southeast shore of Kachemak Bay, approximately 12 miles (19 km) south of Homer and 6.3 miles (10 km) northeast of Seldovia, Alaska. The name originates from the Dena’ina language and was first published as “Kahsitsnah” in 1883 by William Healey Dall of the U.S. Coast and Geodetic Survey. The Ekren family homesteaded Kasitsna Bay around 1950 and operated a fish trap at Nubble Point, a headland partially enclosing the bay and creating a tidal mudflat about 1.2 miles (1.9 km) wide. In 1955, they established the Ekren Packing Company, a cannery that processed clams, salmon, and Dungeness crabs until 1975.

Research at Kasitsna Bay began in 1957 when the Bureau of Commercial Fisheries started studying shellfish in Kachemak Bay. To support these activities, a small year-round field station was constructed in 1960 on 27 acres (11 ha) of waterfront property on the southern shore. The site was selected for its access to clean saltwater and proximity to year-round commercial fisheries for king, Tanner, and Dungeness crabs, as well as shrimp, salmon, and halibut. Early research focused on the life history, population dynamics, and behavior of pandalid shrimp in the Gulf of Alaska, which informed annual catch limits for Kachemak Bay. In 1978, logistical issues and shifting research priorities prompted the transfer of activities to the Northwest and Alaska Fisheries Lab in Kodiak. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration retained ownership of the Kasitsna Bay property, which was used by the Outer Continental Shelf Environmental Assessment Program from 1975 to 1985. This program aimed to ensure that proposed development on the outer continental shelf would not irreparably damage the marine environment and its resources.

In 1981, the University of Alaska Fairbanks began using the remote field station to support graduate research. In 1999, Kachemak Bay was designated a unit in the National Estuarine Research Reserve Program, and administration of the Kasitsna Bay Lab was soon transferred to the National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science. Over $12.5 million in congressional appropriations funded renovations, including a new two-story dormitory, a laboratory and scuba support facility with concrete piling foundations, an elevated boardwalk, and a trestle connected to a deep-water floating dock. The project also constructed a seawater supply system for the main wet lab. The lab is now jointly operated by the National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science and the University of Alaska Fairbanks for studies of subtidal, intertidal, and terrestrial ecology. This ecosystem science supports decision-makers in Alaska’s coastal communities with information and tools to better understand the impacts of subarctic ecosystem change, harmful algal blooms, ocean acidification, and oil spills. Kachemak Bay is an ideal study area due to its ecological richness and susceptibility to effects from development and climate change, such as increasing ocean acidity and decreasing salinity caused by higher precipitation and glacial runoff. Read more here and here. Explore more of Kasitsna Bay Lab and Kachemak Bay here: