Spiny dogfish are fairly small sharks often assumed to inhabit bottom waters, but although they are rarely seen from shore, they play a big role in coastal ecosystems. They tend to form aggregations in which individuals of same sex and/or size tend to appear together, which makes them vulnerable to human activities like trawling and bycatch. As with other shark species, spiny dogfish rely on close physical contact for mating. To understand these interaction patterns better, w

In November 2025, we tagged european eel for our RCN-funded project, PUFFINS. The aim of our work is to better understand how eels behave and use habitat, particularly in urban environments. The European eel is considered a threatened species both in Norway and by the European Union, yet its behavior and habitat use is understudied. Due to an array of unfortunate delays, we were only able to begin our catch efforts in November. Catching eel in the fjord at this time of year

Brown trout are key players in our freshwater and coastal ecosystems, moving between rivers and the sea to make the most of different habitats throughout their lives (also known as sea trout, searun trout, anadramous trout). One important stage is the blenkje (also called finnock): young trout that return to freshwater after their first summer at sea, but before they mature. Their survival in rivers is crucial—if they make it, they can head back to sea, grow, and eventually r

For the second year, we have been invited to guest lecture for students in the Arctic Population Ecology (AB-204) course led by Dr. Larissa Beumer at the University Centre in Svalbard (UNIS). Our theme for the guest lectures was marine ecology and how we can use tracking methods like acoustic telemetry to study the behaviour and movement of aquatic species. In addition to lecturing about telemetry methods, we showed examples of research projects where telemetry is used, ethic

Alpine lakes are among the most climate-sensitive ecosystems on Earth. As temperatures rise, cold-adapted species face increasing pressure, and key ecological processes begin to shift. Yet these lakes also offer a unique opportunity: they act as natural laboratories where we can study how freshwater ecosystems respond to environmental change. Finsevatn (Finse lake), located in the high mountains of southern Norway, is particularly well-suited for this kind of research. Finsev

This year’s fieldwork in spectacular Svalbard for the NICE project is finalized. Two field campaigns, one during summer and one during fall, have been conducted by PhD candidate Saron from the BTN team as well as many researchers from the collaborating partners. The fieldwork in Svalbard offers quite challenging conditions given its location in the high Arctic, however with amazing views. The work is part of the NICE project, which investigates how climate change is reshaping

As the main bulk of field work in BOATS and PUFFINS is coming to a close, we look back at lovely days at Puddefjorden and Store Lungegårdsvannet which can only be described with one word: successful. This season kicked off in June by downloading data and changing batteries in all receivers. Also in June, we deployed three additional receivers to the Store Lungegård network. After the summer break our fishing efforts began. This year, we weaved together fyke nets with only one

We’re thrilled to announce that BTN will receive funding for two major research projects through the Norwegian Research Council (NFR). These projects - CARE-COD and ROPES - will deepen our understanding of how marine ecosystems respond to rapid environmental change, from the high Arctic to the fjords of western Norway. CARE-COD: Cod Evolution in a Changing World The CARE-COD project turns its lens to the Atlantic cod, a species central to Norwegian fisheries and now facing t

Over the next decade, the Norwegian road agency plans dumping of tunnel masses at different locations in Sørfjorden from the development...

Last summer, we tagged 26 gorgeous thornback rays in Osterfjorden, just a bit north of Bergen. Most of them were captured with rod and...

At the end of August, we spent three intense and exciting days at Finse, carrying out the first phase of the COLD pilot project to...

We’re excited to share that our new paper is out, where we tracked the movements of sea-run brown trout (or sea trout/anadromous brown...

Before summer, PhD students Saron Berhe and Erlend M Hanssen took part in the NoWPaS workshop, a five day international workshop for PhDs...

Historically, Norwegian rivers have been associated with the fascinating Atlantic salmon fish species. This salmonid has become...

PhD Candidate Lotte S Dahlmo visited two early career researchers at VLIZ in Belgium this week. In the fall of 2023, Lotte Pohl and David...

During spring and early summer, Saron and Lars Martin have been out in field maintaining our receivers that are located in the city...

In fall 2024 we received the news that the application for the PUFFINS project was accepted and will receive funding by the Norwegian...

In January, the BTN team together with colleagues at NORCE and other partnering institutes in Norway, Sweden, Denmark, and Canada...

We received great news from Save Our Seas Foundation that the Ghost Track project will be funded. The ghost shark, Chimaera monstrosa ,...

We are now in 2025 and are halfway through our otter project - RePress. The motivation behind this project stems from the reemerging...