The Marine Science Center is situated within the Hohe Düne marina. Moored directly at the eastern jetty of the Warnow is an approximately 50-metre-long, white-and-blue vessel, the “Lichtenberg”. It houses the scientific institute’s facilities, including computer workstations, a library, a workshop, a seminar room, cabins for visiting researchers and the mess room. Also on board is a fish kitchen for preparing feed for the experiments.
The seals themselves are kept in a net enclosure directly in the Baltic Sea, within which the institute’s vessel is also moored. This animal-holding facility measures 100 x 30 metres and has a water depth of around 5 metres. The facility is divided into three tanks, which are used for experimental purposes and for the temporary separation of the animals, for example to enable focused work with a single animal.
A lock on the south side of the facility enables boats to be safely guided in and out; these are used to take the animals out to the open sea for certain experiments. There is one chamber on each of the two floating platforms. One is superbly equipped for visual and acoustic experiments; the other was used to house the penguins in cold weather. Experiments can also be carried out in a tank on the institute’s research vessel.
The animals have access to several platforms, as well as the floating structures surrounding the enclosure, which serve as resting places.
Since 2012, there has also been a research facility on the bow of the ship: the cognitive and sensory abilities of octopuses were studied in a 3,000-litre seawater aquarium. After the aquarium had stood empty for several years, we were able to welcome new octopuses in December 2023, enabling us to resume our research into these fascinating animals.
The entire facility can be viewed from the visitor deck. From 1 April to 31 October, visitors can view the scientific work and animal training there daily from 10.00 to 15.00, or 16:00, and from 1 to 30 November, Thursday to Sunday from 10:00 to 15:00, watch the scientific work and animal training up close (Live Research).
