News

Sometimes rare species appear on our research cruises. This time there was a helmet jellyfish that gathered the scientific staff in the laboratory.

Fish, birds, whales, sea cucumbers, plankton, radioactivity and microplastics: Step aboard the research vessel G.O. Sars for the 15^th ecosystem survey of the Barents Sea.

To continue the strong collaborative relationship with Europe and discuss the future of marine research, IMR invites you to meet a selected group of our senior scientists and research directors at Norway House, Rue Archimède 17 in Brussels on October 17^th 2018 at 0900-1300. 

It looks strange, smells odd and has never been tasted before. So what happened when a celebrity chef served the “seafood of the future” to five researchers at the Institute of Marine Research?

Maybe you think that a fish is just a fish? You’re wrong. Fish are also unique individuals with different traits, and now researchers at the Institute of Marine Research want to use facial recognition technology to distinguish between them.

“This is the tagging boat. Team 13 have observed bluefin tuna at the surface.”

46 years before a whale with its stomach full of plastic famously stranded in Norway, marine scientists found plastic in the stomach of a whale off Canada. We know this thanks to a newly discovered report.

A new flatfish in the Baltic Sea, the “Baltic flounder”, has received the Latin name Platichthys solemdali after the late Norwegian scientist Per Solemdal. Genetic studies in 2017 confirmed that this flounder was a new species of fish.

The principle is simple: A multi-jet drone flies over a herring school and "dips" a scientific echo-sounder from a 9 meter long cable into the school. The echo-sounder sends data about the fish school back to the vessel in real time. The data can be used to improve the estimation of school size, before it is captured or during capture while it is still legal to release unwanted catches.

A broad alliance on plastic pollution has been entered at Kongsberg this summer. Shipowner Torvald Klaveness, KONGSBERG, the Norwegian Shipowners’ Association and the Institute of Marine Research will develop a mapping concept for plastic in the oceans.

While the blue ling is endangered, fishers report of lots of blue ling in some fjords. New DNA tests show that the sea and fjords may in fact be home to several distinct populations.

The Institute of Marine Research is contributing research, capacity building and unique data to the UN’s efforts to prevent mercury pollution.

When researcher Terje van der Meeren was quantifying fish eggs in the Repparfjord in the very north of Norway, there were microplastics in around 25% of the samples that he collected from the fjord.

How much water is there in the oceans? And where is the oldest water on the planet? Marine scientist Svein Sundby has the answers.

Iodine researchers from 27 European countries are demanding immediate action to tackle iodine deficiency in European children. With half of all newborns at risk of impaired brain development, the experts are taking a joint stand and signing a call for action.

Crab pâté, stuffed crab and other mixed crab meat products contain high levels of the heavy metal cadmium. That is the conclusion after analysing various crab products sold in grocery stores.

The formal change of ownership for Norway's new ice-breaker vessel "Kronprins Haakon" was completed 23 April. The Institute of Marine Research has now taken over as owner, and the completion of the vessel will be done at Vard Langsten.

A five-year interval between trawling is not enough for the kelp forest in Nordland. The important flora and fauna in the kelp forest does not have time to establish itself during the normal gap between kelp harvests. Kelp forests are believed to be an important nursery and feeding ground for many species of fish.

Salmon escaping from fish farms is a known problem. New research shows that wrasse can also escape and spread their genes amongst the “locals”.

At several locations in Norway, brown crabs contain high levels of the toxic heavy metal cadmium. By preparing a crab correctly, you can prevent the great majority of the heavy metal from entering the claw meat.

If they have plenty of choice, female lobsters choose sex partners with a big body and a muscular crusher claw. However, new research shows that fishing pressure may affect their beauty ideal.

From the tropics to the Arctic; increased ocean acidification will have huge, negative effects on marine ecosystems. A new study shows that the ocean management should be less sector based, according to scientist.

The Institute of Marine Research and the Norwegian Computing Centre have received a NOK 15.5 million grant for the ICT project COGMAR. One key goal is to automate the interpretation of images from echo sounders, trawl cameras and other observation methods.

Demersal seines are so effective that the haul can become unmanageable. It has also been difficult to avoid bycatches when using them. Since 2013, fisheries researchers at the Institute of Marine Research have been working to redesign this fishing gear.

On the 2^nd of January 2018, large numbers of politicians and journalists accepted the invitation to take a guided tour of the research vessel Kronprins Haakon, which arrived in Bergen on the 30^th of December 2017.

The new icebreaking research vessel Kronprins Haakon is amongst the most advanced in the world. Today it is being presented in Bergen.

Some eels migrate into fresh water, while others remain at sea, particularly in Northern Europe. The IMR has received funding to investigate why.

Bath treatment with hydrogen peroxide is an effective method to remove sea lice on farmed Atlantic salmon, but treatments can be associated with high mortalities. Findings from researchers at the Institute of Marine Research (IMR) and the University of Melbourne have developed a new treatment concept that can reduce salmon mortality and improve welfare.

– We are delighted that, taken in consideration Norway’s ambitious goals to expand our exploration on marine resources, this agreement strengthens us further as a management institute. The marine industries must be managed sustainably if we are to handle the desired growth in a good manner, says The Institute of Marine Research’s Managing Director Sissel Rogne.

A joint Norwegian-Chinese project in Austevoll is investigating whether kelp farms in China can protect farmed mussels against increasing ocean acidification.