The Port of Kodiak is the main city on Kodiak Island in the State of Alaska. Located about 135 nautical miles south-southwest of the Port of Homer and about 550 nautical miles northwest of the Port of Sitka, the Port of Kodiak is a busy commercial fishing center and a popular destination for lovers of the outdoors. In 2008, the Port of Kodiak was home to over 6200 people.

The Port of Kodiak can be reached only by ferry or air. The island is rich with wildlife that includes the Kodiak bear (the largest species of brown bear), the black-tailed Sitka deer, mountain goats, salmon, and halibut. Before the arrival of fiber optic cable, all communications with the outside world were channeled through the antenna farm at the top of Pillar Mountain.

People have lived on the Kodiak Archipelago for more than seven thousand years, and the native people who live there today, the Alutiiq, descend from those original inhabitants. In 1763, Russian explorer Stephan Glotov first arrived at Kodiak Island. Fifteen years later, Captain James Cook mentioned "Kodiak" in his journals.

Attracted by the huge number of sea otters, Russian fur trapper Alexander Baranov founded a settlement and built a warehouse in the future Port of Kodiak. The warehouse is today the Baranov Museum in the Port of Kodiak. The indigenous people prized the sea otters and would not harm them. This led to war with the Russian trappers and the eventual enslavement of the Alutiiq people.

Missionaries from the Eastern Orthodox Church came to the island and the Port of Kodiak in the late 18th Century. With a growing white population in the Port of Kodiak, it became the capital of Russian Alaska.

Russia and America joined to establish the Russian-American Company with the goal of sea otter harvest. By the middle 19th Century, the sea otter was nearly extinct. At the same time, disease and war had reduced the indigenous population by as much as 85% since the first Russian landing at the Port of Kodiak.

The United States purchased the Alaska territory from Russia in 1867 (the event is known as "Seward's Folly"). The Port of Kodiak became a commercial fishing center, and canneries grew up on the island. Unfortunately, the worldwide farm-raised salmon industry forced many of these canneries to close by the early 1900s.

During the Theodore Roosevelt administration, the Kodiak National Wildlife Refuge was created when animals like Sitka deer, mountain goats, muskrats, beavers, rabbits, and squirrels were introduced to the island.

The Port of Kodiak was incorporated in 1941. At that time, the United States expected Japanese attacks and turned the Port of Kodiak into a fortress. Fort Abercrombie was built in the Port of Kodiak, and the US military constructed roads, an airport, bunkers, and gun emplacements that contributed to improving the physical infrastructure of the island. The Port of Kodiak was an important staging area for the United States during World War II, and the city's population grew to over 25 thousand during that period. The Port of Kodiak gained a submarine base, an air station, and an army outpost. When the Japanese captured Kiska and Attu islands in the far western Aleutian chain, American and Canadian forces turned the Japanese back before they could reach the Port of Kodiak.

After the war, the Port of Kodiak's fishing industry grew rapidly. Alaska became a state in 1959, bringing additional government aid to the Port of Kodiak in the form of housing, education, and transportation. The Port of Kodiak continued to grow as a commercial fishing center, and new fish processing factories appeared on the island.

In March 1964, the Great Alaska Earthquake brought a tsunami to the Port of Kodiak, and waves over nine meters high swept through the city, killing 15 people and causing millions of dollars worth of damage. The same tsunami destroyed the native villages of Old Harbor and Kaguyak as well as the Alaskan King Crab Company and much of the Port of Kodiak's fishing fleet.

The modern Port of Kodiak is a year-round commercial fishing center, and the fishing industry is the island's economic base. One of the United States' top three fishing ports, the Port of Kodiak is home to over 700 fishing vessels. The former Naval Air Station in the Port of Kodiak now serves as the largest Coast Guard Station in the United States. It also supports the fishing fleet, freighter traffic, and recreational boating in the Northern Pacific region.

In addition to the Port of Kodiak's vigorous fishing industry, there are several fisheries-related research facilities in the city. The Fishery Industrial Technology Center (FITC), a unit of the University of Alaska Fairbanks School of Fisheries and Ocean Sciences, operates a graduate program and conducts training in fisheries and food science. The center also conducts research to support fish-harvesting technologies, seafood science, and fish processing technology.

The Kodiak Fisheries Research Center (KFRC) is a top-notch research facility run by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration is open to federal and state researchers. The KFRC is dedicated to preserving, enhancing, and managing the marine ecosystems and resources of the North Pacific. The National Marine Fisheries Service, the State of Alaska Department of Fish and Game, and the University of Alaska operate labs and offices in this facility.

The City of Kodiak is the port authority for the Port of Kodiak, home of the biggest and most diverse fishing fleet in Alaska. The Port of Kodiak boasts three commercial piers and over 650 boat slips that can accommodate vessels up to 304.8 meters long.

The city operates public dock facilities in the Port of Kodiak, and private docking facilities are also available. Thirteen full-time employees staff the Port of Kodiak harbor, which provides continuous security for 2884 commercial vessels, 882 pleasure craft and multi-purpose vessels, and 286 auxiliary skiffs.

The Port of Kodiak is also a hub for Gulf of Alaska container traffic and a distribution center for consumer goods going to communities throughout southwest Alaska. It is, of course, a major export point for fish cargoes destined for markets around the world.

The Port of Kodiak's municipal marine facilities include Pier I, the Ferry Dock, which is 62.2 meters long. Used for mooring and cargo-handling, Pier I offers water and bulk fuel services.

Pier II, the City Dock, is 281.9 meters long with alongside depth of 11.6 meters (tidal range is about 3 meters). The City Dock in the Port of Kodiak is used for loading/unloading commercial freight and fishing gear. Services available at Pier II include a covered warehouse, bulk fuel, and water.

The Port of Kodiak's Pier III, the Container Terminal, is 149.4 meters long with alongside depth of 11.6 meters. Offering container services for general cargo, Pier III is equipped with a 30-ton gantry crane and water service.

The Port of Kodiak operates two small boat harbors with 650 stalls that can accommodate vessels to 45.7 meters. There are also two general purpose docks inside the boat harbor.

The LASH Marine Terminal, located in the Port of Kodiak's Womens Bay, serves freight carriers, forwarders, and consolidators in addition to the Port of Kodiak's fishing fleet and construction contractors. Operated by Seaport Terminal Services, the Port of Kodiak's LASH Marine Terminal offers almost 366 meters of dock space, warehouses, yard storage, and ample cargo-handling equipment. Seaport also maintains three mooring buoys in the Port of Kodiak's Womens Bay, each with a 15 thousand pound anchor that offers moorage capacity for large vessels and barges. The terminal also offers vessel haul-out and storage services for vessels up to 15.2 meters long.

LASH Corporation, owner of Seaport Terminal Services, is developing an industrial park adjacent to the terminal in the Port of Kodiak. Offering property for sale or long-term lease, they are willing to build to suit for businesses wishing to locate in this Port of Kodiak industrial park.

The Port of Kodiak is home to Fuller's Boat Yard with a Marine Travel Launch Slip that can handle vessels of up to 150 tons. The Boat Yard provides ship repair services and offers outdoor dry storage and washing service for 75 boats.

The City of Kodiak is the main city on an island populated by almost 14 thousand people. Accessible only by sea and air, daily flights and ferry services provide transportation to Alaska's Emerald Isle. The Kodiak Archipelago contains several islands located some 48 kilometers from the Alaska Peninsula. The Kodiak Archipelago is about 285 kilometers long and covers an area the size of the State of Connecticut. The Port of Kodiak is the main population center on the island, but there are many villages where modern subsistence living reveals a rich heritage. Visitors can find lodging and guides at many of these villages, although they can only be reached by boat or air.

Beginning 145 kilometers southwest of the Kenai Peninsula, Kodiak Island is called Alaska's Emerald Isle due to its lush green summers. In the past, natives in kayaks or seamen in tall sailing ships harvested the sometimes violent seas around the Port of Kodiak and the island. Today, modern fishing vessels with sophisticated fishing equipment based in the Port of Kodiak do the same thing. Located in the Aleutian Trench where the Pacific and American plates meet, tremors, tsunamis, and earthquakes are common in the Port of Kodiak. Through it all, the sea is the all-encompassing environment that both threatens and supports this vibrant place.

The sea dictates the climate and weather in the Port of Kodiak. While there is not much freezing, there are frequent clouds and fog. During the summer, temperatures range from the low 20s (70s Fahrenheit) to around 4 °C (40 °F), with an average of 13 °C (55 °F). Rain and wind are common, and the weather can change very quickly. On June 21st, the longest day of the year, the Port of Kodiak gets about 20.5 hours of sunlight. Temperatures range from an average high of 16.6 °C (62 °F) in August to an average low of -4 °C (25 °F) in January.

Visitors to the Port of Kodiak will not want to miss a trip to the Kodiak National Wildlife Refuge. The Refuge was established in 1941 to conserve Kodiak brown bears, sea otters, salmon, sea lions, marine mammals, and migratory birds as well as to provide for ongoing subsistence lifestyles and to protect water quality and quantity. The Refuge area of more than 1.9 million acres contains pristine waters and mountainous terrain where bears, bald eagles, salmon, and a diverse community of fish and wildlife thrive. The Refuge encompasses four Kodiak Island villages: Karluk, Larsen Bay, Akhiok, and Old Harbor. Located on the island's west coast, Karluk had the world's biggest salmon cannery until overharvesting forced its closure in the 1930s. Larsen Bay, known as Uyak by the Natives, has been inhabited for two thousand years by the Alutiiq people. Akhiok, on the south end of the island, was a sea otter hunting settlement but is now a fishing settlement. Also inhabited for two thousand years, Old Harbor is home to commercial fishermen.

The Alutiiq Museum and Archaeological Repository highlights the 7500 year history of indigenous culture in the Port of Kodiak and on the island. Home to one of the biggest collections of Alutiiq artifacts in the world, the museum has a gallery, a research laboratory, and storage for over 190 thousand local artifacts. The museum store offers Native art, jewelry, and books. The museum also sponsors special events, lectures, and classes.

The Port of Kodiak's Maritime Museum, the "museum without walls," is located on the St. Paul Harbor sidewalks. The museum's displays describe the rich marine resources of the area and explain Alaska's commercial fishing industry.

Whale watching is one of the most popular activities in the Port of Kodiak. Whale migration to these waters begins in April when the Gray whales begin to arrive. In June, visitors can see Fin, Minke, Humback, and Sei whales. From June to November, humpbacks and Fins are common. While you can see them from the cliffs and beaches on Kodiak Island, there are many charter boats available for marine wildlife and whale-watching tours. For the last 13 Aprils, the Port of Kodiak has been home to Whale Fest Kodiak, a 10-day festival celebrating the return of Gray whales to Alaska's waters and their summer feeding grounds. During the festival, in addition to whale watching, visitors can attend lectures and environmental forums and enjoy local music and art.

Another popular activity in the Port of Kodiak is bear viewing. From July to September, experienced guides take visitors on air taxis for half-day viewing trips, or local lodges offer multi-day treks. There are also kayak outfitters and boat charters specializing in viewing bears and wildlife. The Kodiak National Wildlife Refuge and Kodiak's Alaska State Parks office offer special-use cabins. Visitors are recommended to make reservations for bear-viewing trips several months in advance.

Travelers who want to visit the Port of Kodiak and Kodiak Island can find a list of scheduled cruises on the Cruise Compete website.