Services

The Institute of Marine Research (IMR) studies everything from the seafood we eat to the most subtle details of marine ecosystems. We also invest a lot of resources in aquaculture research and developing new technology. Our vessels, laboratories and research stations collect the data that inform our research and scientific advice.

About Matre Research Station (MRS): At IMR-MRS, 80 tanks with 100 cm diameter equipped with waste feed collectors and video cameras are available. IMR-MRS has a main focus on cultured and wild stocks of salmonids like Atlantic salmon from several Norwegian rivers and cultured rainbow trout.

Services: The experimental facilities and the biological resources available at IMR are excellent for performing experiments in the following research areas:

• Establishing new fish species for sustainable aquaculture;

• Optimisation of aquaculture technology;

• Life history traits and fish development and transitions;

• Hatchery technology and larviculture;

• Life's environmental requirements,

• Fish nutritional requirement (feed, feeding and digestive physiology);

• Optimisation of feeding and alternative feed sources;

• Welfare indicators for fish;

• Disease in farmed and wild fish;

• Fish behavioural studies;

• Fish developmental physiology;

• Fish reproductive physiology;

• Transcriptomics and bioinformatics.

  
  

IMR has internationally recognised scientists who will be involved in networking and research activities. This will provide a great supportive and stimulating environment for the applicant.

Bioresources available

Species collected upon request (On-site service):

• Diverse fish, crustaceans, and bivalve’s species from the Masfjorden area.

Marine model organisms (On-site service):

• A range of aquaculture fish species, including Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar), Rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss). The facilities have also been used to establish models for early sexual maturation in salmon, which are combined with genotyped fish lines (isogenic and outbred) and CRISPR-based genome editing in functional studies.

Support offered

Experienced technical assistance will carry out the standard procedures and the general maintenance. Specialist technical support for daily experimental work and sampling can be provided to all visiting scientists (on-demand access and additional personnel costs might be applied). In case of absence during the experimental period, the experiment will be supported by the IMR station technicians in close contact with the user. IMR greatly supports scientific cooperation and research network.

Modality of access

The cost model is unit cost and the unit of access is defined as one tank/week. The access time and unit at IMR-ARS is strongly dependent on the research planned objectives and the targeted-species and -life stages. A typical project is 3 months for one person focusing fish early life stages, 1-2 months (9 to 12 tanks) for the first-feeding stages and 1- to several months for juvenile/young adults stages experiment (12 to 15 tanks), depending on the research objectives.

The research activities at IMR are season- and species-dependent, therefore supply of different life stages are also season-dependent. The applicants will coordinate with the liaison officer whether the facilities are appropriate, available for the planned research and determine the most suitable time for the visit depending on other demands of the facilities and technical assistance. Support with accommodation will be provided.

The applicant will be welcomed by the liaison officer and be integrated to a scientific research group related to the subject of the project to facilitate the applicant integration and scientific support. To facilitate the development of cooperation and scientific network between the applicant and host, the applicant will be encouraged to communicate and disseminate their research and participate in the Institute ongoing program. During the visit, the applicant will have access to the office facilities, IT service and scientific library.