ThePortobello Marine Laboratory is located on the end of a short peninsula close to the township ofPortobello, within the limits of the city ofDunedin inNew Zealand'sSouth Island. It is run as part of theUniversity of Otago, the main campus of which is 23 kilometres to the southwest in Dunedin's main urban area.
The laboratory is New Zealand andOceania's oldest establishedmarine research facility and was opened on 13 January 1904. It was originally proposed for Dunedin by leading MP and naturalistG. M. Thomson as a fish hatchery.[1] Initially planned to be sited atPūrākaunui, north ofPort Chalmers, the current site on the shores ofOtago Harbour was deemed more suitable.
The laboratory went through a period of revival in the 1950s, in whichElizabeth Joan Batham was a key player.[2]
The laboratory is highly regarded worldwide for its facilities and research, and is an important asset to the university's Marine Science Department. The facility also includes theNew Zealand Marine Studies Centre, which offers education programmes to pre-booked groups.
45°49′41″S170°38′27″E / 45.82792°S 170.64090°E /-45.82792; 170.64090
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