Research area is within fish reproductive biology and biotechnology, broodstock management, embryogenesis and larviculture with emphasis on species important to Norwegian and international aquaculture and species showing high potential: Atlantic cod, Atlantic halibut, salmonids, and cleaner fish. Academic-level research in aquaculture requires compromising industrial applicative solutions, which cannot be sophisticated, with gaining scientific knowledge of biological events and their mechanisms. While sticking closely to the applicative problem-solving outcome of the research, we actively search and explore novel approaches with novel tools of advanced science.

The current research include: studies of mechanism driving normal development of fish embryo and larva, with emphasis on early maternal regulation of the processes; biotechnology of reproduction: control of sex and induced sterility in fish aiming at establishing monosex populations; experimental embryology: embryonic cells isolation, culture, transplantation and cryopreservation; gamete biology and biotechnology: quantitative parameters, composition, temporal characteristics, quality evaluation, handling, and short- and long-term storage; larval rearing with emphasis on larval nutrition and nutrigenomics; broodstock management with focus on nutritional status and fecundity potential; cytogenetics; development of novel tools including functional genomics, larviculture and new species to aquaculture.

The group collaborates with several Norwegian and foreign institutions, including: Marine Research Institute and Akvaforsk (Norway); University of St. Andrews and University of Stirling (UK); Ohio State University (USA); University of Warmia and Mazury, Agricultural University of Krakow, Inland Fisheries Institute, and Polish Academy of Sciences (Poland), Murmansk University (Russia), University of South Bohemia (Czech) and CNRS (France). We are a member of REPROFISH.