Home / Blog / Swedish Spawning Ground

May 30, 2012

Swedish Spawning Ground

BY: Claus Koch

Topics: 

© OCEANA / Carlos Suárez

 

Claus Koch - Dive CoordinatorThe day started a little earlier than our average day, with an rov dive before breakfast.

Not much was observed during the dive and the rov was back on board after less than an hour of diving.
The boat quickly proceeded to the next location, which was a small bank at about 16 meters depth. This was the position for our afternoon scuba dive.

We entered from the back of the boat and slowly went down in the green. Seems like the algae bloom is slowly starting to show, with less visibility in the first 8 meters of the water column.

When first making touch down at about 18 meters a small cod was immediately observed. The bottom at first glance did not look any different than what we had already encountered on many other dives. Rocks covered with blue mussels and very little else. A closer look how ever,reviled the bottom was almost covered with egg’s. Tiny white to clear pearls covering rocks and algae. The place was obviously a spawning ground for something. There was nothing that would give us a sure ID of the fish that had laid the egg’s, but a huge number flat fish was observed during the dive, so that would be the obvious explanation…how ever, no positive ID. The bank also showed a number of other fish and shrimp.

Short after the dive we set course for Poland, where we will be, ready for an early morning scuba dive.