The MARECO marine biology lab is located in the Ostend RBINS facilities and consists of two rooms. One room is equipped with e.g. fume-hood for bulk processing of biological samples. The second room (microscopy room) is dedicated to macro-organism species identification and is equipped with three Nikon trinocular stereo-microscopes, two with 50X maximum magnification (model SMZ745T), and one with 157.5X maximum magnification (model SMZ25). The SMZ25 model is adapted with a 5.9 MP camera and connected with a computer which runs the NIS-Elements – Microscope Imaging Software, for direct digital imaging. We also have a Nikon ECLIPSE Ci-L microscope and a Sartorius analytical balance (model SECURA324-1CEU). The microscopy room is further equipped with an extensive macroinvertebrate taxonomic library and the latest identification keys.