The infrastructure includes independent units for research on fish performance, all suited for short and long-term experiments with new or established species in late-larval, juvenile or grow-out phase:

1. experimental set-ups for swimming of fish (four Blazka-type swim-tunnels, one Loligo swim-tunnel, a smaller and larger swim-carousel) with respirometry methodology and high-speed cameras for analyses of swimming behaviour,

2. high throughput image-based phenotyper with real-time computer vision analysis and selection,

3. acknowledged expertise in the assessment of methods to render food fish and experimental fish unconscious, using EEG and ECG registrations in combination with behaviour for assessment,

4. several independent RAS, with various options on the number and size of the tanks, depending on the proposition of the user. All systems are temperature-controlled suitable for fresh water and seawater and equipped with mechanical and bio-filtration units. Filter modules can be exchanged to meet the specific needs of the end-user, such as UV disinfection, ozone treatment, up-flow filtration, de-nitrification etc.

The facilities offer the ability to test in identical and independent RAS at system level effects of nutritional factors, environmental (water quality) factors, and management factors on system and fish performance. The swimming set-ups (tunnels) are tools to study fish exercise physiology and behaviour, to determine the impact of sensor tags or loggers (heart rate, acceleration, etc) and validate their outputs in relation to speed, oxygen consumption and swimming behaviour, or to determine the impact of diet, climate change, water quality, etc. Fish can be tested individually, or batch-wise for fitness traits that relate to genetic origin, metabolic traits and resilience. Stunning fish before killing contributes to the well-being of fish and thus to social acceptance of aquaculture.

The systems are suitable for both fresh and seawater, and fish in different stages of development (fingerlings, juvenile, grow-out) can be studied in short- and long-term studies. WR staff will advise on the experimental set-up, in close collaboration with the user. This includes system preparation, fish transport and acclimatization. In addition, when appropriate, legal permits to work with experimental animals will have to be obtained by a certified WR scientist prior to the experiment. During the actual experiment, WR staff will continue to support the user, including daily care, sampling and (temporal) storage of samples, and with data analysis and publication.