Marine research stations

In 1843, Pierre-Joseph Van Beneden opened a modest marine laboratory called Laboratoire des Dunes (Dune Laboratory) on the east bank of the Ostend harbour, which he financed entirely at his own expense. By doing this, Van Beneden was ahead of his time: other renowned European marine stations didn’t see the light of day until years later. After 3 decades of research activity, the laboratory closed its doors during the 1870s. The history of this very first marine station and of the subsequent initiatives of other Belgian marine scientists, is described in detail in the documents below.