I am a physiologist, and my primary objective is to assist industry to culture fish efficiently and sustainably, while still maintaining optimal fish welfare. Currently, I am heading the construction of a large-scale water recirculation research facility at Nofima Marin at Sunndalsøra. This facility will spear-head the efforts of Nofima Marin to improve knowledge of how land-based recirculation systems should be run, to achieve optimal fish growth, and water quality within the requirements of the fish.
Of all the physiological systems, nitrogen excretion and metabolism especially interests me. This is because not all dietary protein can result in growth, and in fish amino acids are to a large extent also used for energy. To know how fish degrade amino acids and generate and excrete end-products such as ammonia, is important for understanding how to optimize protein growth.
I am currently applying my research interest in nitrogen metabolism in two ways: Firstly, in nutrition projects, we are studying how targeted amino acid supplementations affect growth, feed utilization, and molecular indicators of salmon reared in sea. Secondly, in line with our recirculation research strategy, I am studying the requirements of the fish in such systems, including feed pellet stability and ammonia tolerance in a five-year Norwegian Research Council program.
