Montlake Laboratory
2725 Montlake Boulevard East
Seattle, WA 98112
The Montlake facility is located on 6.32 acres of land. The tract is adjacent to Portage Bay just off the Washington Ship Canal which connects the Puget Sound to Lake Union and Lake Washington. The Seattle Yacht Club adjoins the site.
The Montlake facility is headquarters for the Northwest Fisheries Science Center Directorate and three research divisions -- Coastal Zone and Estuarine Studies (CZES), Environmental Conservation (EC), and Utilization Research (UR). The Center provides overall policy direction for the three divisions which have operational activities based out of Montlake and five field stations located in the Northwest.
The CZES Division is organized into three tasks to conduct research on the aquatic resources of the Columbia River drainage system and Puget Sound. The Ecological Effects of Dams Task focuses on fish passage problems related to dams. The Habitat Investigations Task concentrates on the Columbia River estuary with specific research on background studies of the environment, studies of the impacts of discharged materials or heat, studies of the impacts of dredging or dredge-disposal, and lower river and estuarine salmonid studies. The Fisheries Enhancement Task conducts research to: 1) enhance anadromous salmonid runs by improving production and contributions of federally funded hatcheries; 2) provide genetic methods to identify salmon stocks in mixed stock fisheries and Endangered Species Act determinations; and 3) develop marine husbandry techniques to maintain captive brood-stocks of severely depleted wild runs.
The EC Division operates as an integrated research group with specific expertise in biochemical effects, analytical chemistry, and studies on effects of contaminants on life processes. The overall research focus is to better understand and evaluate the nature and extent of pollution and its effects on marine and anadromous species and their habitats. The Division has been a leader in developing and applying new methods for analyses of marine sediments and biota for trace levels of organic contaminants. Other major activities include the development, evaluation, and adaptation of sensitive methods to assess the responses of a variety of marine species to exposure to environmental contaminants; studies to determine if young salmon migrating through Puget Sound take up toxic chemicals and if there is an effect on their survival; and investigations into the influence of contaminants on the reproductive success of bottomfish. The Division is a major participant in the National Benthic Surveillance Project of NOAA's Status and Trends Program. The Division also has been active in the development of NOAA's Coastal Ocean Program (COP) and is currently a leader in conducting studies related to the Toxic Chemical Contaminants Element of the COP.
The UR Division is concerned with all aspects of fishery resource utilization, but with a primary function of obtaining research data to develop concepts for better utilization of marine resources. Principal research areas include: methods for handling, preserving and processing fish; analytical techniques for quality measurements; concepts for using fish processing waste and underutilized resources; product safety and quality; chemical and nutritional composition; and processing and purification of lipids. The Division has internationally recognized expertise in microbiological hazards (e.g., Clostridium botulinum growth and toxin production) and foodborne pathogens (e.g., Listeria monocytogenes).