July 1, 2016
My last day on the Ranger
Today, we continued to sample an anchoring spot, to the east of Malta, an area common with big vessels. Despite the big impacts the area suffers from such vessels, the marine environment is sneaking through bringing with it beautiful bundles of calcareous algae, green algae, and occasionally, structured mud with a high presence of some protected species. Nevertheles, you can see the impact that anchors of cargo ships, gas carriers, and tug boats have had on the area, which have destroyed these fragile habitats. We must film this in order to find a solution. Today is my last day on the Ranger – I´m leaving our floating home until next year- to continue our work on other waters. So, I leave with a heavy heart but knowing that the expedition is in great hands with the excellent crew left on-board to document the Maltese seafloor.