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May 4, 2012

Södra Midsjöbanken

BY: Ricardo Aguilar

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© OCEANA / Carlos Minguell

 

Ricardo Aguilar - Research DirectorToday, we have been researching in and around Södra Midsjöbanken, an underwater hill or bank in the Swedish South part of the Baltic Proper. In the shallowest area the well-known rocks with mussels (Mytilus trossulus) covered by hyrdoids and bryozoans. The divers have also found lumpfish (Cyclopterus lumpus) , many small gobies (Pomastochistus spp.) and a big cod (Gadus morhua). I am starting to be suspicious about the exact size of the cod because, as the day is passing, the explanations on how large the fish was are changing and every time is bigger and bigger.

Later, when going deeper, rocks where empty: below 50 meters it is the Kingdom of the big amphipod Saduria entomon.

We have had some fun trying to take a good picture of the small fishes. Tens of gobies jumping and swimming fast everywhere without stopping. They are much faster than we are but, finally some of them have being “hunted” by the cameras.

Now, it is time to analyze some samples, check the videos and photos, and to write down the things that have happened during the day. I do not know if I will have to change the diary… the size of the cod continues growing…