MARINE INSTITUTE’S NEWPORT RESEARCH FACILITY TO HOST OPEN DAY

Marine Institute’s Newport Research Facility to host Open Day. The Marine Institute’s Newport Research Facility in Co Mayo will host an Open Day for all on Sunday 27^th April 2025 from 11am to 4pm. Visitors will have an opportunity to view the facilities in Furnace in the Burrishoole catchment and learn more about the research taking place at the site.

View the freshwater hatchery and fish-rearing facilities, and speak with researchers, scientists and staff about the wide-range of research activities being undertaken at the Newport Research Facility. Find out more about the Marine Institute’s involvement in tagging programmes for basking shark and Bluefin tuna, with receivers and tags on displays, and videos on the tagging process.  There will also be information on the historical fishery, a harpoon on display and samples of basking shark oil.

In the Biology Laboratory, discover some of the insects that live in the streams and lakes in the Burrishoole catchment area and test the water for its quality. Look through the microscope and examine some of these tiny invertebrates up-close. Learn how to read a salmon scale and see how archived fish scales of salmon and trout from the 1950s can be analysed to reveal insights into growth patterns, environmental stress, and DNA.

Discover more about the Institute’s fisheries research and touch some of the fish species that were captured during fisheries surveys on the RV Celtic Explorer and the RV Tom Crean. Visitors can learn about the breakdown of marine litter in the oceans with the Clean Atlantic Project’s exhibition stand.

Children attending the Open Day can take part in interactive workshops exploring ocean currents and plastic pollution, and learn how Earth’s rotation affects the currents in the oceans. The Into the Deep workshop explores ocean layers and how sea creatures adapt to life in the deep.

Dr Rick Officer, CEO of the Marine Institute said:

“We are delighted to open the doors to our Newport Research Facility for all to understand more about the work that is being undertaken by our scientists and researchers. The Marine Institute’s Newport Research Facility is a hub for marine research in Ireland, and the Open Day is an opportunity for the public to engage with our research – from climate change and aquaculture to sustainable fisheries and marine biodiversity.”

The Marine Institute’s Newport Facility forms one of the most effective natural laboratories for studying migratory fish in Europe. In operation since 1955, the facility includes laboratories, a freshwater hatchery, fish rearing facilities, fish census trapping stations, and a monitored freshwater lake and river catchment. A range of marine research is undertaken at the Newport Facility including genetics work across several species of salmon, sea trout, sea bass, pollock and bluefin tuna, as well as research on catchment ecosystems events, climate change, oceanography and aquaculture.

Source