News

In the North Atlantic there are several hundred thousand baleen whales that migrate long distances, whereas in the North Pacific there are just a few hundred of them. That is the conclusion of a new study.

We joined “Geir II” on a scientific fishing expedition to Jan Mayen, where significant numbers of spawning cod have been discovered recently.

The data from the Antarctic krill expedition is ready. This is the first estimate of the krill population in the Southern Ocean fishery in 19 years. 

In 1999, researchers caught 50,000 of the juvenile cod’s favourite food in their beach seine. In 2018 that number had collapsed to 500.

In much the same way as humans, mackerel need their own personal space too. Crowding the mackerel during the catch process might have significant consequences when those mackerel end up on our dinner plate.

Field experiments show that seismic activity does not harm this important species of zooplankton: not at all when the air guns are over ten metres away, and with a maximum of 30% higher mortality than controls even in close proximity.

Researchers have documented a leak from the wreck of the Soviet nuclear submarine. However, it poses no risk to people or fish.

Climate change and the effects we are already witnessing were key topics in the first State of the Ocean speech by managing director Sissel Rogne.

One hundred fifty years have passed since the birth of Johan Hjort (1869-1948). Best remembered for his groundbreaking theory from 1914 on the natural fluctuations of fish stocks, Hjort paved the way for materials and methods that are used to this day, not least in climate studies.

A review of figures showing the amount of aquaculture in the areas that are, or have been, affected by the harmful algal bloom suggests that it was probably not caused by aquaculture. On the other hand, it cannot be ruled out that emissions of inorganic nutrients from fish farms may prolong the bloom.

The bloom of the alga Chrysochromulina leadbeateri in northern Norway has now lasted a week. It’s impossible to say how long the alga will continue to create problems for farmed fish, but there are some indications that it is becoming less harmful.

Wild fish can escape the deadly algal blooms, but farmed fish is held in cages. That is why the algae currently blooming in Northern Norway are lethal mainly to farmed salmon in the area.

On 24th of May 2019 in the Palais du Luxembourg in Paris, François Houllier, Managing Director of the French Research Institute for the Exploitation of the Sea (Ifremer) and Sissel Rogne, Managing Director of Institute of Marine Research (IMR) sign the renewal of a "Memorandum of understanding" which will govern and facilitate the scientific cooperation between the two institutes.

24 of 100 tagged lobsters survived the fishing season. It was not random which ones were caught, a new study shows.

Harmful blooms of Chrysochromulina leadbeateri have led to the death of salmon in the counties of Nordland and Troms. This species of alga is common along the Norwegian coast.

The Institute of Marine Research advises feeding the beluga whale in Hammerfest if it does not take food on its own.

The fishing vessel “Geir II” has caught spawning cod at Jan Mayen.

“This is new knowledge for us,” says Marine Researcher Bjarte Bogstad.

At the Norwegian coast, a white whale with a harness has attracted international media coverage. The animal appeared to have been trained, marine scientist Martin Biuw explains in this article.

What measures seven by five metres, weighs 750 kg and is bright orange? Our latest “temp”, who is currently following a predefined course around the North Sea.

Marine researchers took over the famous Bergen restaurant Lysverket for one evening. On the menu, marine delicacies of the future sprinkled with research.

They can travel 8,000 km and dive down 2,000 metres below sea level, but they must always return to the surface to breathe. Whale expert Nils Øien leads us through the world of whales.

In November last year, 150 ocean experts from over 150 countries met to discuss critical science-based actions in response to the problems facing the oceans. Tuesday Sissel Rogne, Managing Director of the Institute of Marine Research (IMR), submitted their report to Prime Minister Erna Solberg.

A new study shows that the majority of fish stocks in the Northeast Atlantic have recovered as a result of improved fisheries management.

Today marks the 150-year anniversary of the birth of Johan Hjort. He was the inaugural director of the Norwegian Institute of Marine Research. A Hjort symposium will be held in June to create a new mindset within marine research.

When the host dies, microscopic Kudoa spores start to break down the flesh of the fish. Once they’re done, you can drink the fish with a straw.

It has been a mystery why deep-sea fish contain so much mercury in fjords without any known sources of mercury pollution. In fact, fish in a clean fjord like Sognefjorden contain more mercury than fish around the polluted submarine wreck at Fedje. Can it be the fjord itself that is to blame?

Development of a new catch monitoring probe will provide a means of monitoring fish welfare and quality early in the capture process in purse seines, as well as providing a simplified and cost-effective method for species and size identification. 

The lobster reserve was supposed to ensure more and bigger lobsters in the surrounding area as well. Then people started fishing three times as much just outside the borders.

Researchers have tested their gear and already tagged whales in the Southern Ocean. The first pictures from our Antarctic cruise have now reached us in Norway.

The bountiful krill in the wild and remote waters of the Antarctic has not been measured on such a large scale since 2000.