– We have no chance of finding out all that is fun and interesting in the sea, without help from people who report to us, says Gro van der Meeren at the Institute of Marine Research. She is the coordinator of the “work for the sea” project. “Dugnad for the sea” also has a separate website where you can report if you have seen rare or unusual species. Gro Marie Adsen has done that. She went on a stranded moonfish in Bjugn in Trøndelag just before Christmas. Gro Marie Adsen took a picture of the fish and contacted the Institute of Marine Research through the pages of “work for the sea”. Photo: Gro Marie Adsen – I was actually out trimming when I saw something on the shore. I realized it was a being of some kind. Then I had to call my husband on Facetime while I walked over to it – just in case it was alive, Adsen laughs. Has become Norwegian Moonfish do not really belong in Norwegian waters. – It is very rare, and has probably arrived with the warm water in the Gulf Stream flowing up along the coast, says van der Meeren. The moonfish eat jellyfish, and like to swim with them in the same current. – They probably eat all kinds of jellyfish that they get sucked into. The fish stranded in Lysøysund may simply have frozen to death. – Observations of sunfish most often appear in late autumn and winter. By then it has become colder in the water. It is less equipped to face the cold than rounder and smaller fish. It can be too flat and with too little fat, says van der Meeren. Adsen posted pictures of the moonfish on both Instagram and Facebook. She received an inquiry from another person who had seen sunfish in the same area many years ago. Gro Marie Adsen appreciates that the sunfish has now been registered, and that the discovery may be important for better understanding life in the sea. Photo: Privat Suddenly coming across such a rare fish, she thinks it was a great experience. – It was a very special fish. I wasn’t sure if it was unusual. I reported to the Marine Research Institute and was confirmed that it was rare. It is nice that it is now registered, says Adsen. Many inquiries The moonfish is one of over a thousand observations registered in the database last year. Butter snails have been found, among other things, in Gulen in Sogn og Fjordane. Photo: Dugnad for havet / Havforskningsinstituttet Seahorse, sea urchin, nudibranch, velvet swimming crab, goby, large herring, Pacific oyster, hagfish, wolffish, jellyfish head, lobster, seal, porpoise and various algae are among what has been recorded. – We receive many inquiries throughout the year. Many are curious about what they have found, and we get useful information back, says ocean researcher Tone Falkenhaug at the Norwegian Institute of Marine Research. St. Petersfisk is an example of a species that has managed to establish itself in Norway. St. Petersfisk is a fish that has gradually adapted to life along the coast of Norway and is now found all the way to Trøndelag. Photo: Erling Svensen / Marine Research Institute – It is also normal for new species to appear. When the species migrate on their own, it becomes something different than when they were introduced. St. Petersfish has shown a more northerly distribution than before and can now be considered a Norwegian species that both lays eggs and survives all the way up to Trøndelag, says van der Meeren. Since the service was created in 2020, 2,625 registrations have been made. Falkenhaug has obtained valuable information to map the distribution of the special pearl normanet. It has several challenges with it. Among other things, it burns so strongly that it kills fish in breeding cages. The number of inquiries to “work for the sea” increases every year. In particular, there have been many observations of the Perlesnormanet. Photo: Erling Svendsen / Marine Research Institute – When we receive observations, this means we can follow where the jellyfish are over time. We can report further to the species data bank, and we also get the opportunity to send out notices to the farming industry, says Falkenhaug. Finding oysters and harbor sparrows earlier Not all the species that are registered for “work for the sea” are necessarily rare. And they don’t have to be. – It’s a great way to raise awareness of life in the sea. We get information we would not otherwise have received, and what is observed can be indicators of changes in the sea, says Falkenhaug. Marine researcher, Tone Falkenhaug, at the Institute of Marine Research says that there have been many sightings of pearl whiting along the coast last year. Photo: Erlend Astad Lorentzen / Institute of Marine Research Pacific oysters are an example of a species that is both an environmental challenge in Norwegian waters, while at the same time it is considered a resource. – Getting observations of such oysters can help ensure that they are handled correctly, says the researcher. The same applies to harbor sparrow, or Japanese sea urchin, which is an alien species with a very high risk in the alien species list. Harbor spuds multiply quickly, and are spread over large areas via ship and boat traffic, lines and other fishing equipment. This Japanese sea urchin has been named harbor spit because it spreads very quickly on the seabed. Especially in the ports where it has arrived with, among other things, boats. The blankets of sea urchins look like vomit on the seabed. It suffocates other species. This picture is from Engøy in Stavanger. Photo: Gunnar Morsund / news – We have many good examples where tips have helped to find harbor sparrows, says Falkenhaug. Read more articles about harbor spew here. No statistics on life in the sea The observations in “work for the sea” come from hikers, professional fishermen, recreational fishermen, the farming industry and not least from divers. – We have some very keen divers who make very valuable observations. They are also good at taking pictures and documenting, says Falkenhaug. Asbjørn Grøtte is a hiker. He has not reported to the Institute of Marine Research, but has on the other hand documented killer whales in the Trondheimsfjord at the end of January on film. Killer whales in the Trondheimsfjord 22 January 2023. – It was a very funny experience to see the black fins and bodies for a moment here, and soon afterwards on the other side of the fjord. They move fast, he says. The Institute of Marine Research monitors all sea areas and collects large amounts of data. But regular monitoring of, for example, jellyfish is not carried out. – We have one of the world’s largest sea areas to monitor. There are not enough researchers to get a complete overview. We depend on help from people who report, says van der Meeren.
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Challenging jellyfish and rare moonfish are among the species seen along the coast last year – news Trøndelag
