Research is the essential key for a country's comprehensive development and achievement. Power and sovereignty of every nation has research and science production as its base. Success in all developmental activities of industry, social services, agriculture and fisheries depends on the exhaustiveness of research activities. The need for research projects on marine biology and environment has been brought in to focus by the importance of the knowledge required for aquaculture, nutrition and food supply and preservation of marine resources. Oman Sea Fisheries Research Center, on such basis, has commenced its activities in 1982. Due to its outstanding progress in research activities and research facilities, the center was upgraded to Persian Gulf and Oman Sea Ecological Research Institute by the ministry of science, research and technology in 2002.
The sea-fronted central building of the Institute with 4200 m2 infrastructure is located on the coastal area in Bandarabbas with an additional research station located in Bandar-e-Lengeh.
Research activities of the Institute are organized in different research departments of marine ecology, marine biology, marine stocks evaluation, breeding and aquaculture, fish processing technology, genetics and Aquatic Animal Health. Moluccas Persian Gulf Research Station in Bandar-e-Lengeh, has conducting research on Moluccas and ornamental fish as its objective.
In 2009 Persian Gulf and Oman Sea Ecological Research Institute received the International Certificate of Quality Management of Laboratory Systems accredited by DAkkS according to the international standard ISO/IEC 17025.
The departments are divided to 7 sections
Ecology Department
Goals:
1- Determining of ecological characteristics of Persian Gulf and Oman sea ecosystem
2- Determining the biological effects on aquatic resources of Persian Gulf and Oman Sea
3- Determining Potential regions for aquaculture with emphasis on coastal of Persian Gulf and Oman Sea characteristics
4- Determining effects of biological threats on aquatic resources of Persian Gulf and Oman Sea
5- Determining of red tide trend by using field and satellite monitoring
Abilities:
1- Surveying and study on physical and chemical conditions of aquatic ecosystems in Persian Gulf and Oman sea
2- Measuring of nutrients, chlorophyll a,COD and BOD of environmental ecosystems
3- Survey vertical profiles and surface contours of environmental factors (such as temperature, salinity, dissolved oxygen, turbidity, density, speed of sound)
4- Sampling and measuring of physical and chemical factors (nitrate and phosphate,TN,TP,TSS,TDS) in water and sediment
5- Measuring aliphatic and aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in water, sediments and aquatic organisms
6- Measuring pesticides in sediments and fish tissue
7- Measuring of heavy metals such as lead, nickel, cadmium, iron, zinc, and nickel in water, sediment and aquatic
8- Surveying and study on the marine ecosystems including:
- Identifying and determining of composition, quantity and distribution Macro benthos in genus taxon
- Identifying and determining of composition, quantity and distribution Macro benthos in family taxon
- Identifying and density of taxon phytoplankton on aquatic ecosystems of Persian Gulf and Oman sea in genus taxon and species
- Identify and density of Zoe plankton in ecosystems of Persian Gulf and Oman sea in genus and species
- Identify and density Ichthyoplankton in family taxon
- monitoringplank tonic groups density and oil pollutions
Professional groups
1- Physical-chemical group
2- Biological group
3- Pollution group
Equipment and laboratory facilities
Laboratories in this department are administered by international standards ISO/IEC/17025.
- sample preparation Lab
- Instrumental Analysis Lab
- Plankton Lab
- Benthos Lab
- Chromatography Lab
- Marine Bio-toxin Lab
Equipment
- mille pour system with vacuum pump
- CTD system
- Laboratory Spectrophotometer
- Field Spectrophotometer
- Frezer Drive
- Atomic absorption
- Hydrogen Generator
- Gas Chromatography (GC)
- GC-Ms
- ELISA
- HPLC
- Nutrient analyzer
Satellite monitoring of red tide Department
Goals:
1- Forecasting Satellite monitoring of Phenomenon environmental such as red tide and pollutions(RS)
2- Preparing and update fisheries and ecological data in geographical data base (GIS)
3- Using satellite data on the management fishing
4- Modeling the relationship between marine environmental characteristics and fisheries
Abilities:
1- Receiving and processing of satellite images of the Persian Gulf and Oman Sea waters
2- Satellite monitoring of red tide and other important phenomena affecting marine surface waters
3- Prepare fisheries and ecological data in a GIS database
4- studying relationship between marine environmental characteristics and fish stocks
Biology and Stock Assessment Department
Goals:
1- Identifying kind of marine organisms
2- Biology marine organisms
3- Stock Assessment of commercial marine organisms
4- Enhancement marine organisms
Abilities:
1- Biology of marine organisms (dietary, spawning, fecundity rates of marine organisms…)
2- Determining population dynamics of marine organisms (growth rate and morality, Length and weighted relations…)
3- Egging of marine organisms using hard tissue
4- Stock assessment of commercial fish, shrimp and mollusks
5- Investigation on optimum harvesting time and defined total available caught major shrimp in Hormozgan waters
6- Enhancing of marine organisms stocks through artificial habitats construct
7- Mapping and distribution of marine organisms
8- Monitoring of benthic fishes using catch per unit effort in a given time period
9- Preparation of microscopic slides of marine organisms tissues
Professional groups
1- Benthic fishes
2- Pelagic fishes
Equipment and laboratory facilities
Laboratories in this department are administered with international standards ISO/IEC/17025.
1- Laboratory of Marine Zoology
2- Histology Laboratory of Marine
Equipment
- Cutting Soft tissue
- Cutting hard tissue
- Automatic tissue
- Stereo Microscopes and Microscope camera
- scales and fish meter board
Aquaculture Department
Goals:
1- Introducing of important, cultivable and commercial marine species
2- Determination of Breeding and cultivation techniques of marine organisms
3- Determination of nutritional requirements of marine cultured species
4- Providing of Methods to control and manage the aquaculture sites and areas sensitive to red tide
Abilities:
1- Isolation and cultivation of microscopic algae
2- Cultivation and production of zooplankton (rotifer and Artemia )
3- Cultivation and extraction of macroscopic algae powder
4- Red tide monitoring and control of algae in shrimp farms
5- Preparing and performing plans for cage culture
6- Integrated culturing of various marine organisms in ponds
Professional groups
1- Breeding and cultivation of marine organisms group
2- Nutrition and Physiology of Aquatic organisms group
Equipment and laboratory facilities
Aquaculture Hall: This department has a Hall of about 900 square meters with various kinds of fiberglass and polyethylene tanks for rearing of marine organisms.
Laboratories
1- Isolation and cultivation of phytoplankton (phycolab)
2- Isolation and cultivation of zooplankton Laboratory
3- Breeding and cultivation of marine fish larval Laboratory
4- Control of harmful alga bloom (HAB) Laboratory
Aquatic Genetics department
Goals:
1- Identifying and molecular systematic studies of marine organisms
2- Studying population genetic structure in different types of fishes and their molecular markers
3- Identification, Extraction and bar coding of native and commercial species and preparation Gene bank
4- Identification and extraction of new Microsatellite markers for marine organisms through gen cloning and submit the sequences world gene bank(National Center for Biotechnology Information -NCBI)
Abilities:
1- Determining genetic differences between marine genetic populations of the Persian Gulf and Oman Sea marine organisms
2- Identifying genetic markers for study on genetic population, in order to select the bloodstocks and hybridization of marine species
3- Identifying of viral diseases in commercial species of fishes and shrimps in Persian Gulf and Oman Sea
Professional groups
1- Molecular Genetics
2- Cellular Genetics
Equipment and laboratory facilities
- Bio-photometer
- Centrifuge
- PCR
- Thermo Mixer
- Electrophoresis (vertical and horizontal
- Digital Scales(one-thousandth)
- Tube Shaker
- Screen Shaker
- Sampler (one-thousandth)
- Gel Documentation
Aquatic processing technology department
Goals:
Helping to improve the added value contribution of the fisheries sector in the economy through
Research such as:
Goals:
1- Reduction waste and fall of quality fish and their products from various stages of catch to use
2- Increasing added value of fishery products and increase revenues of fisheries industry
3- Increasing products quality and try to exporting products
4- Using fish products to Food, health, medical and industrial products
5- Production basic information on standards of quality and quantity of marine products
Abilities:
1- Holding training of fish processing and fishery products quality management
Equipment and laboratory facilities
1- Microbiology Laboratory
2- Marine Chemical products Laboratory
3- Processing salon(126 square meters)
Equipment
- Macro kjeldahl automatic
- Spectrophotometer
- Light microscope
- Electric furnace
- Microscopes, stereo microscopes and digital scale
- laminar flow class II
- Refrigerator Incubator
Aquatic Animal Health department
Goals:
1- Improvement and upgrade health management in aquaculture centers
2- Improvement optimize and prevention, detection, control and eradication of aquatic organisms diseases
3- Identify and develop new ways to control and fight disease of aquatic organisms
4- Providing geographical distribution of diseases, mollusks, crustaceans and fish in Province
Abilities:
1- Entomology Study of aquatic organisms
2- Bacteriological study of aquatic organisms
3- Virology study of aquatic organisms
Equipment
- Stereo Microscope
- Microscope Camera
- Freezer Minus 80
Persian Gulf mollusks Research Station
This station is located in Lengeh in the west of Hormozgan province and mainly focuses on the research of invertebrates, especially mollusks.
Goals:
1- Accessing the technology of breeding and cultural economic mollusks, sea cucumber and ornamental fish
2- Evaluation of Persian Gulf mollusks reserves, especially the pearl and edible mollusks
3- Site selecting for cultivation of pearl oysters
4- Rehabilitation of marine invertebrates, especially pearl oysters
Abilities:
1- Identifying biotechnics of ornamental fish and pearl and edible oysters
2- Determining maximum sustainable yield of invertebrate
Professional groups
1- Breeding and culture
2- Biology
3- Diving and Marine Services
Equipment and laboratory facilities
- Breeding and culture salon
- Marine Chemistry Lab
- Marine Biology Lab
Scientific Information Department
Goals:
1- Providing books, documents and papers requested by Experts
2- Publication results of project and research
3- Holding seminars and conferences
4- Preparation data bank of marine organisms in Persian Gulf and Oman Sea
5- Controlling Networks, LAN, WAN, Web and Automation
6- Holding training courses for staff, scholars, researchers and students
Professional groups
1- Information technology (IT)
2- Scientific information
Equipment and laboratory facilities
- Library (in web)
- Automation (with 40 user)
- Seminar and conference salon
- Firewall (network security system) and Antivirus
- Web site:WWW.PGOSERI.ac.ir