Norway has been given a floating ocean laboratory
The OceanLab will contribute to research on underwater robotics, aquaculture, autonomous shipping and environmental research.
Fish and aquaculture
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Artificial intelligence makes it easier to study wild fish at salmon farm sites
New technologies, including artificial intelligence, allow us to study salmon behaviour and their living environment in large-scale commercial sea cages.
Combating marine waste and ghost fishing with new materials
Ghost fishing and plastic waste from the fisheries industry is becoming a major environmental problem. Can we address the issue by using degradable plastics? Scientists at a new research centre are aiming to find the answers and develop the systems we need.
The stag hunt – and why a circular economy is so difficult
The will is there. The technology is too. So why is only 2.4 per cent of the Norwegian economy circular?
A robotic microplankton sniffer dog
The microscopic, free-floating algae called phytoplankton — and the tiny zooplankton that eat them — are notoriously difficult to count. Researchers need to know how a warming climate will affect them both. A new kind of smart, lightweight autonomous underwater vehicle (LAUV) can help.
Researchers found an underwater landfill while looking for chemical discharges from mobiles and electronic devices
Research scientists in Norway recently set out on a scientific cruise in the Trondheim fjord to collect water samples and specimens of marine species. What they stumbled over was quite different from what they were looking for.
Fish farms moving onshore
Land-based fish farming offers many benefits to both the fish and the environment. In traditional offshore farms, the fish are vulnerable to sea lice infestation and infectious diseases. Modern land-based aquaculture systems are able to offer local fish products in landlocked countries.
Building trust in robots to measure, monitor, and regulate the ocean
A new partnership between the Centre for the 4th Industrial Revolution Ocean and the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU) has been established to establish trust in ocean data collected from autonomous underwater vehicles.
Shedding light — on the polar night
The polar night is dark — if you’re a person. But not if you’re a krill or a seabird or a fish. In the first episode of NTNU’s new English-language podcast, 63 Degrees North, learn how researchers discovered that there’s more than enough light in the polar night for the tiny creatures who live there.
Meet the aquaculture industry’s new maintenance bot
This ROV can fully operate on its own, and follow along with fish’s behaviour and health with its Argus eyes – all while keeping a safe distance. It even inspects the technical standard of the enclosure while it’s at it. Say hi to Mr. CageReporter.
Are discarded mobile phones and electronic waste polluting our seas?
The Norwegian research organisation SINTEF will investigate whether rare earth element minerals contribute to pollution in costal areas. Research scientists from Norway, Denmark and Germany are taking part in the project.
Why aren’t sea trout thriving anymore?
Sea trout numbers are declining in Norway and scientists don’t know why. They have studied the trout in two rivers in northern Norway’s Nordland county. Soon, sea trout along the entire Norwegian coast will be investigated.
Cleaner fish being sacrificed in the fight against salmon lice
Research shows that even fish farmers have doubts as to whether using cleaner fish is an effective delousing method. “Fish farmers tell us that they want a ban on the use of certain species. They’re also very critical of wild-caught cleaner fish being transported,” says researcher Kristine Størkersen. She is one of the scientists who have been helping the Norwegian Food Safety Authority gain an overview of the situation.
Robo-turtles in fish farms reduce fish stress
Robotic turtles used for surveillance could help prevent escapes from salmon farms. The “turtle robots” are paving the way for a technology that improves monitoring inside sea cages.
Arctic light pollution affects fish, zooplankton up to 200 metres deep
If artificial light shines into the Arctic Ocean during the polar night, does it matter? A new paper in Communications Biology says the answer to this is a strong yes.
Following sea trout minute by minute
Sea trout populations have declined sharply. Researchers have studied the life of sea trout by means of acoustic telemetry tags and listening stations. Now they know more about what we need to do to protect the sea trout population.
More people and fewer wild fish lead to an omega-3 supply gap
Omega-3 fatty acids are essential components of healthy diets for both humans and fish. The dramatic increase in fish farming worldwide has boosted the demand for omega-3 fatty acids so much that today’s supply can’t meet demand. Reducing waste and finding new sources can help.
Resistant salmon lice spread to wild fish
A new study confirms the role of the aquaculture industry in the spread of resistant salmon lice in Norway.
Six years into the ice — and beyond
The Arctic’s once impenetrable ice cap is melting away, with profound consequences for everything from ocean circulation patterns to fish numbers and diversity. The Nansen Legacy Project, including NTNU biologists, chemists and engineers, is working to better understand what these changes mean for the Barents Sea and the Arctic Basin
Mission control: Norwegian SciTech News has landed!
We’ve changed our name to Norwegian SciTech News — so readers know immediately what they will find here.
Clean water eliminated effects of discharged drugs in fish
The discharge of pharmaceutical drugs is a major problem around the world, but a new study of the freshwater fish burbot shows that there is hope.
Tourism, aquaculture and offshore accidents with Blueye
Blueye is an underwater drone that got its start at NTNU. The drone can be used for serious purposes – such as when it mapped damage to the Norwegian frigate Helge Ingstad – or for entertainment, such as showing cruise passengers the underwater landscape.
Better fish welfare using “sensor” fish
The electronic “sensor” fish measures the physical factors that affect farmed fish during delousing. The results may lead to welfare improvements in salmon farm cages.
Six billion NOK for new Ocean Space Laboratories
Three new fjord laboratories, one in Trondheim, one in Hitra/Frøya and one in Ålesund, along with two test basins in Trondheim are planned as part of the project.