Remembering Ted Stevens: A Great Alaskan and Champion for our Oceans

Senator Stevens with Nereus the rescued walrus that was rehabilitated at the Alaska SeaLife Center and transferred to the Indianapolis Zoo in 2003.

(photo by Aaron Saunders)

The Alaska SeaLife Center staff are joining all Alaskans today in sharing their grief over the tragic loss of Senator Ted Stevens. We extend our deepest sympathy to his family for their loss and to the families of the other passengers killed and injured in the plane crash on Monday.

Senator Stephens played an integral role in establishing and promoting the Alaska SeaLife Center. With his deep interest in a healthy fisheries industry and sound governance of the larger Alaska marine ecosystem, he saw the value of opening a public aquarium and promoting marine research in his home state. Senator Stevens legacy will in part be defined by the value he placed on protecting our marine resources and his leadership in supporting scientific research to understand and sustain those resources.
His work to restructure commercial fishing to protect the sustainability of that industry has revolutionized fisheries management in the North Pacific and beyond. His ability to balance economic and environmental needs of the state was remarkable and admirable. As an institution we are indebted to Senator Stevens for his years of service to our state, his contributions both political and private to the wellbeing of the Alaska SeaLife Center and for serving as an advocate of environmental stewardship that we can all learn from.

We share in the nation’s sorrow as we have lost a champion of our cause and a wonderful friend to all who care about the future of our oceans.

On behalf of the Board, staff and volunteers at the Alaska SeaLife Center, the citizens who helped create and maintain the Center, the science community which has benefited by the research conducted here and the two million visitors who have learned about the wonders of Alaska’s seas as a result of its creation, we pledge to continue to honor Senator Stevens legacy and further the important marine research and education work that he long ago recognized as profoundly important to the future of Alaska.