AtlantNIRO is a leading scientific research institute of Russia to investigate fishery biological resources in the Baltic Sea, Central and Southern Atlantic, Southeastern Pacific and Western Indian Ocean. The research is aimed at the development of scientific basis for rational utilization of biological resources on the base of up-to-date technologies.

Comprehensive marine research expeditions provide: Oceanographic, hydrological, hydroacoustic and trawling surveys and surveys of juvenile fish abundance. Specialized studies on stock structure, biology and distribution of fishing objects, bioproductivity of waters, dynamics of the oceanographic conditions, environmental pollution, etc.

Areas of investigation

Research vessels TSM "ATLANTIDA" and TSM "ATLANTNIRO" can perform works under contracts with other organizations.

Vessels specifications

Research vessels TSM "ATLANTIDA" and TSM "ATLANTNIRO" have similar specifications which allow to conduct a wide scope of oceanographic and biological surveys in any area of the world ocean. The vessels were built in Stralsund (Germany) in 1987.

Crew number of each vessel amounts to 40 persons, 16 scientific workers including. The participants of the expedition occupy two- and three-berth cabins provided with air conditioners. Eight research laboratories: hydrological, hydrochemical, hydroacoustic, ichthyological, hydrobiological, geological, for benthos investigation, and a laboratory for satellite observations are available. The ichthyological laboratory is provided with a separate 9-cubic metre aquarium. Sea water, plankton, benthos and bottom ground are sampled using three hydrological winches. Scientific discussions may be hold in a comfortable conference hall.

Each vessel is equipped with pelagic and bottom trawls, and is able to conduct trawling operations at the depths between 10 m and 1500 m.

The catch can be processed into fish meal using a fish meal plant. Samples are frozen and stored in the 45-cubic metre refrigeration chamber.

Each vessel is equipped with a set of instruments to study the environment, including: FSI Micro-CTD SBE 19plus Seacat Profiler Furuno doppler sonar current indicator

Hydrochemical laboratory is equiped with modern instruments for complex hydrochemical analysis.

A set of hydroacoustic instruments used to assess the pelagic fish species biomass includes a modern echometric complex up to the world sdandarts: Scientific echo sounder for fishery research applications Simrad EK-60. High accuracy professional multi purpose split beam fish finder Simrad ES-60. Scanning sonar for efficient fishing operation Furuno FSV-24 Trawl Monitoring System Simrad FS-900/925, WESMAR TCS 770.

Simrad EK60 is the most modern scientific echo sounder in the market. Based on more than 50 years of research and development in close collaboration with leading marine scientists, this echo sounder system has become an international standard for fish stock assessment.

The hydrobiological laboratory is provided with the equipment allowing to make primary processing of plankton and ichthyoplankton samples.

The vessels have any possibility to expand directions of exploratory work depending on research problems under investigation.