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June 23, 2013

Sunday 23 June 2013

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© OCEANA / Carlos Minguell

 

‘Today we are back in Southern Sweden, Hanö Bay on the SE coast. The operations are carried out at about 10 miles off shore at some mussel banks about which the local authorities are particularly interested in receiving information. Hanö Bay has suffered from environmental problems during the last years. In 2010 local fishermen started to report that fish is disappearing from the coast and that catches consisted of a lot of sick fish – fish that contained wounds on the tissue etc-. Also fishermen started to report that water was murky and foamy. Recently the Swedish government has therefore started an investigation to try get to the bottom with the problems. In the morning I invited Jenny Larsson, an environmental consultant and a specialist on Hanö Bay´s problems. Jenny gave us an introduction on the area and on the environmental problems that have been occurring over the last few years. Later she was invited to join us on the first trip of the day.

We made two trips, one consisted of 3 ROV dives and the second of a scuba dive. The visibility was clear, and we spotted a lot of flat fish and mussels. We will provide the local authorities with all the information we have compiled once the expedition gets to its end in July.

Tomorrow we will document an area that is likely quite similar to this one.