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Carna Research Station


In operation since the 1950’s, NUI Galway’s Carna Research Station (CRS) is Ireland’s leading facility for aquaculture research and development on a diverse range of marine finfish, shellfish and seaweed species. Based in south-west Connemara, CRS is the Ryan Institute’s off-campus marine laboratory and specialises in large scale, exploratory aquatic investigations with a tradition of carrying out both applied and basic research on existing and novel species for aquaculture. These include lumpsucker, wrasse, cod, seaweeds, Manila clam, purple sea urchin, Japanese abalone, Pacific oyster, turbot, salmon, trout and sponges. In addition, the Ryan Institute Carna Research Station is well equipped for research on macroalgae and microalgae.

With direct access to an intricate Atlantic coastline of complex ecosystems, the research station also provides a base for research operations. As a result, many national and international researchers and students (undergraduate and postgraduate) avail of the facilities at Carna for short, medium and long-term projects. CRS also engages in community outreach and education by hosting a variety of workshops on a multitude of topics.

The Carna Research Station is a core research facility that is managed by the Ryan Institute. It provides a research infrastructure platform that can be booked by funded research projects of Ryan Institute Principal Investigators. External users (including industry and international partners) interested in conducting research and innovation actitivies using the Carna Research Station researfch infrastructure should contact the Director of the Ryan Institute with any enquiries.

The Ryan Institute's Carna Research Station has provided a research infrastructure platform that has enabled research projects to be conducted with  both commercial and academic partners within the aquaculture sector

The Ryan Institute's Carna Research Station is committed to producing high quality work that contributes to the long-term sustainability and further development of the aquaculture sector in Ireland.