Department of Aquatic Resources

At the Department of Aquatic Resources (SLU Aqua) we conduct research on fish and shellfish in seas, lakes, and watercourses. We monitor the aquatic environment and develop methods and expertise for the sustainable use of aquatic resources.

  • Our vision: Viable fish stocks in healthy waters
Our work
A group of people in waders are electrofishing in a small stream surrounded by lush forest. A man in waders and a cap holds a net and an electrofishing rod while talking to the others, who are holding a black bucket and other equipment. The environment is natural and humid, with rocks and branches in the water

Education

We offer training and courses for those interested in fish and fishing, marine biology, limnology, and aquatic ecology.

Research

We conduct research on aquatic ecosystems, fish, fishing, and fisheries management.

Environmental analysis

How is the fish population along our coasts and in our seas, lakes, and watercourses doing? We track changes, explain them and show the way forward.

News and ongoing projects

News

  • 2025-06-10

    New project will explore how warmer and darker coastal waters affect life in the Baltic Sea

    How is marine life affected when coastal waters become both browner and warmer? That’s what SLU researcher Magnus Huss, together with colleagues from the Department of Aquatic Resources (SLU Aqua) and researchers at Umeå Marine Sciences Centre, aims to find out in a new research project.
  • 2025-06-09

    Guillemots prefer predictable foraging grounds

    Common guillemots tend to seek out areas where the availability of fish is stable, even if the amount is small – a strategy that may leave them vulnerable as environments change. Using sailing drones and GPS transmitters, Astrid A. Carlsen has mapped how guillemots and razorbills search for food.
  • 2025-05-05

    The colours of algae lead the way to smarter aquaculture

    Researchers at the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (SLU) and the Royal Institute of Technology (KTH) are investigatin whether algae colours can signal toxic substance production and how underwater robots and AI can detect it early.
More news

Research projects

More research projects
Open databases

Database for fish monitoring along the coast - KUL

Download catch data from coastal fish surveys. Here you will also find data from individual fish sampling from coastal sampling.

Database for fish monitoring in lakes - NORS

Download data from approximately 10,000 conducted fish surveys distributed across about 3,900 lakes.

Database for fish monitoring in rivers and streams - SERS

Download data from more than 81,000 electrofishing surveys carried out at around 22,000 electrofishing sites.