News & announcements

MFRI is taking part in a large-scale international project on harmful algae: Marine phycotoxins in the Arctic: an emerging climate change risk (working title: PHATE).

Two new studies led by the University of Iceland in collaboration with the Marine and Freshwater Research Institute uncover hidden stock structure in Northeast Atlantic blue whiting, a key species for ecosystems and fisheries. The findings highlight distinct subpopulations, migration–residency dynamics, and the need for adaptive management in a changing ocean.

A new paper titled ‘Key drivers and spatio-temporal variation in the reproductive potential of Icelandic cod’ was published recently in the ICES Journal of Marine Science. The paper investigates egg production, assesses the effects of average size and age distribution on egg production, and assesses the survival of cod juveniles in the first year.

The IUCN Red List of Cold-Water Corals has recently come into effect, and the evaluated species are now listed on the IUCN Red List website.

MFRI´s seminar 16 October at 12.30: Beyond tipping points - safeguarding biodiversity in an ocean facing multiple stressors.

MFRI issues capelin TAC advice. Based on acoustic surveys conducted on r/v-s Árni Friðriksson and Tarajoq earlier this autumn and the accepted harvest control rule (HCR), capelin TAC should not exceed 43 766 tonnes in the fishing year 2025/26. This TAC corresponds well with previously released initial advice based on the juvenile capelin index in autumn 2024.

MFRI´s seminar 9 October will focus on Poleward Ocean heat transport. Professor Lars Henrik Smedsrud from the University of Bergen will give a talk called: An updated Nordic Seas Overview – no sign of weakening transports or AMOC.

MFRI´s new research vessel Þórunn Þórðardóttir HF300 is on a charter from 29 August to 12 September for an international research project focused on the oceanography and current measurements in the East Greenland Coastal Current. On board for this cruise in total are 15 physical and chemical oceanographers from the United States, Norway, and Iceland, as well as a journalist and a photographer from the New York Times.

The 2025 capelin autumn survey will be conducted from 23 August to September 22. This is a joint survey conducted by the MFRI (Marine and Freshwater Research Institute) in Iceland and the GINR (Greenland Institute of Natural Resources).

A new study, published in Journal of the Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom, sheds light on how commercial seaweed harvesting may be affecting coastal fish communities.