With a staff of almost 700 the Institute of Marine Research (IMR) is Norway’s largest centre of marine science.
The main task is to provide advice to Norwegian authorities on aquaculture and the ecosystems of the Barents Sea, the Norwegian Sea, the North Sea and the Norwegian coastal zone. For this reason, about fifty percent of IMR’s activities are financed by the Ministry of Fisheries and Coastal Affairs.
IMR’s headquaters are in Bergen, but important activities are also carried out at the department in Tromsø, at the research stations in Matre, Austevoll and Flødevigen and on board research vessels, which are at sea for a total of 1600 days a year. The Institute is heavily engaged in development aid activities through the Centre for Development Co-operation in Fisheries. The aim of research and management advice provided by IMR is to ensure that Norway’s marine resources are harvested in a sustainable way.
