Jan Haaga began working as a research fisheries biologist for the Alaska Fisheries Science Center in 1990 as part of the Shellfish Assessment Program at the Kodiak Laboratory.
Jan's early career involved work on the deep sea submersible Delta and a variety of other remote-operated vehicles used to conduct detailed studies of Tanner crab reproductive behavior in Chiniak Bay off Kodiak Island. She also was the “go-to” person for all of the Kodiak Lab’s graphics needs.
During her career, Jan was an integral part of the eastern Bering Sea bottom trawl survey team and led the organization and logistics for the crab portion of the survey. As many at the Center know, preparing for the 65-day survey and tracking the special projects for the survey are not small tasks. For many years, Jan ensured that everyone got on the right boat and that the data were properly collected and stored.
In recent years Jan has focused many of her talents as the Kodiak Laboratory outreach coordinator while working on research projects in the Kodiak Seawater Laboratory. She spent countless hours representing the Center at the Kodiak Comfish and Whale Festival events. These events attract thousands of visitors to Kodiak, and Jan ensured that the Center was represented well with science exhibits, live animal tanks, videos highlighting AFSC surveys, and NOAA brochures. Jan also assisted with numerous projects in the seawater laboratory including research on the effects of ocean acidification on crab survival.
Jan will be missed by all who worked with her. We congratulate her on her retirement.
