Facilities and equipment

The laboratory offers modern infrastructure that enables both basic and applied research on Baltic fish species. The aquatic environment in the tanks can be controlled and adapted with high precision thanks to advanced water treatment systems that ensure high water quality, controlled environmental conditions and strong biosafety. The facility includes tanks of various sizes and enables experiments, technology development and method testing related to fish biology, physiology, behaviour and reproduction.

Recirculating Aquaculture Systems (RAS)

The core of the laboratory's operations are recirculating aquaculture systems (RAS), which enable the treatment and reuse of water in closed loops. Through mechanical and biological filtration, and precise control of water quality – including temperature, salinity, oxygen levels, pH and nutrients – stable and biologically safe environments are created for all stages of the fish life cycle. All tanks are connected to one or more RAS units.

Quarantine laboratory

The quarantine facility is primarily used for newly arrived fish to detect diseases or other health issues. It has its own RAS and consists of three tanks, each holding 7 m³ of water.

Broodstock laboratory

The facility includes two halls designed to house wild-caught adult fish. Here, broodstock can live and spawn under controlled conditions. During spawning, fertilised eggs are collected and transferred to the hatcheries. Each hall has its own RAS and consists of three tanks, each with a volume of 20 m³.

Hatchery for fish species whose fertilized eggs float in the water column

Hatcheries

The laboratory has two separate hatcheries adapted to different types of fish eggs – one for species that attach their eggs to ocean floor or underwater vegetation, such as herring, and one for species whose eggs are pelagic, such as cod. Fertilised eggs are hatched here under stable and controlled water conditions. The hatcheries are central to studies of early life stages and to the development of methods for fish rearing and stock enhancement.

Rearing laboratories

After hatching, fish larvae are transferred to the rearing laboratories, where they continue to grow under carefully controlled and stable conditions. Here, researchers can follow development from larva to juvenile and study growth, health and behaviour. Water parameters such as temperature, salinity and oxygen levels can be adjusted as needed, providing excellent conditions for both research and method development in fish rearing.

Research laboratories

Experiments can be conducted in controlled environments where factors such as temperature, salinity, oxygen levels and pH are regulated with high precision. Each tank is connected to its own water treatment system, enabling parallel studies and comparisons. Researchers can investigate how different environmental conditions affect fish behaviour, health and development.

Multiple small-scale experiments can be carried out using the laboratory’s smaller, portable RAS units.

Flow-through laboratory

The flow-through laboratory uses continuously supplied, unfiltered seawater, creating an environment that closely resembles the fish’s natural habitat. This enables studies under more realistic conditions, for example how fish respond to changes in ambient water conditions. The facility complements the controlled systems and makes it possible to combine experimental precision with natural variability.

Analytical laboratories and microscopy

In the laboratory’s dry analytical environments, chemical analyses, instrument-based studies and microscopic examinations of fish and water samples are carried out. Researchers can study structures, developmental stages and biological processes in detail. These analyses complement experiments in the wet laboratories and contribute to a deeper understanding of fish health, physiology and interactions with their environment.

Feed laboratory

The laboratory includes facilities for the production of plankton and other feed for fish in early life stages, as well as storage for frozen cryo-feed. By cultivating live feed and adapting it to the fish’s developmental stage, natural conditions can be mimicked to provide optimal conditions for larvae and juveniles. This is a central component in efforts to rear fish for both research and stock enhancement.