Ship Visit, Fish Exhibition, Shore Life Workshop and Educational Activities on Seamen’s Day

The Marine and Freshwater Research Institute (MFRI) invites the public to a diverse and educational program on Seamen’s Day, Sunday, 7 June, starting at 13:00 at the institute’s headquarters at Fornubúðir 5 in Hafnarfjörður.

Visitors will be invited on board the institute’s new research vessel, Þórunn Þórðardóttir HF 300, and the institute’s popular fish exhibition will also be on display. Indoors, there will be a variety of workshops connected to the LIFE Icewater and MarineSABRES projects, where visitors of all ages can participate and learn about marine research and ocean ecosystems.

Program –  7June, 2026

Visit on board Þórunn Þórðardóttir

13:00 – 15:00
Last year MFRI —and the people of Iceland as a whole—welcomed a new research vessel into service. Now the public is invited to explore the ship. Þórunn Þórðardóttir HF 300 is a multi-purpose research vessel designed for marine and fisheries research in temperate and polar waters. Crew members and staff will warmly welcome visitors on board.

Fish Exhibition

13:00 – 16:00
The institute’s ever-popular fish exhibition will take place outside Fornubúðir 5.

Staff collect and preserve both commercially important fish and a wide range of unusual species, along with other marine organisms such as starfish, during their research expeditions. These will be on display, and visitors will have the chance to see and even touch fish that are rarely encountered.

Shore Life Workshop

13:00 – 15:00
Inside the building, visitors can create and learn about marine and coastal life.

The Icelandic Museum of Natural History and the Marine and Freshwater Research Institute will host three creative “shore life” workshops in the ground-floor lecture hall.

Participants can explore coastal ecosystems and make:

• Origami starfish
• Wool sea urchins
• Sparkling shells and snails

This event is part of the LIFE Icewater initiative, a collaborative project involving scientists, municipalities, companies, and authorities.

The project is co-funded by the European Union and aims to improve water quality in rivers, lakes, coastal waters, and groundwater across the country. Its goal is to encourage better stewardship of water as a vital natural resource.

Marine Research Education

13:00 – 15:00
Visitors interested in marine science can learn about the role of ocean research and gain a deeper understanding of protecting marine ecosystems.

This educational program is part of the MarineSABRES project, which focuses on how human activity and environmental changes affect marine biodiversity, and how science can support more sustainable use of the ocean.

Through interactive participation, visitors will gain insight into the work of marine biologists:

• How data is collected
• How species and ecosystems are studied
• How different types of information are combined to form a comprehensive understanding of the ocean