Knut Ståle Eriksen happily looks down into the small stream between Lille- and Store Stokkavatn in Stavanger, the Mississippi stream. He is the leader of the fishing committee in the Norwegian Hunter and Fishermen’s Association in Rogaland, and is proud of what they have achieved here. It has been cleared and new gravel laid out. And now he can state that the sea trout has returned. – Many fish have been spawning here from around 10 October. Counts have shown that there were 40 trout here alone, and the largest were 1.5 to 2 kilos. Eriksen shows with his hands that a two-kilogram sea trout is around half a meter long. Large-scale rescue operation It was in the autumn of 2018 that the collaborative project Sea Trout Project Rogaland was launched, with Knut Ståle Eriksen as one of the most enthusiastic. Something had to be done to save the sea trout. The Mississippi stream in Stavanger is just one of many streams that have received a proper restoration. In the last five years, measures have been taken in 105 of Rogaland’s 700 small and larger streams. In Møllebekken in Stavanger, an excavator was used to remove mud in August 2020. Stones and spawning gravel were placed here, and now the fish are back. Biologist Sebastian Stranzl in Norce supervised the work. Photo: Odd Rune Kyllingstad / news – Over the course of five years, we have laid out a total of over 2,000 tonnes of spawning gravel. We have also planted 10,000 trees. So these measures are not just for fish. Not only do we get trout, salmon and eel, we also get more birds. So this is a big boost for nature in Rogaland, says Eriksen. The sea trout is struggling The sea trout is on the retreat because many streams are piped and grow back. A sharp increase in salmon lice in the fjords as a result of the farming industry has also made it tough for the sea trout, in the same way as the salmon. At the top comes climate change. According to the Scientific Council for Salmon Management (VRL), there is a high risk of stocks becoming critically endangered (external link), due to not enough measures being taken against salmon lice. Knut Ståle Eriksen of the Norwegian Hunter and Fishermen’s Association in Rogaland sees that it is a short time from the improving conditions in the streams until the sea trout are back. Photo: Thomas Ystrøm / news Nearly 600 of Rogaland’s 700 large and small streams have been mapped, and this provides a basis for which measures should be put in place, and which streams most need restoration. Strong measures news was involved when part of Møllebekken in Stavanger was cleared in autumn 2020. An excavator was then used to remove mud. This was replaced with larger stones. Later, a large gold digging machine was used to flush out special gravel, which is suitable for fish to spawn, lay the roe in the gravel ready for hatching half a year later. Dead trees were placed in the stream to provide cover for the fish. Here, too, the result is visible. – This has become a spawning stream with good conditions, especially for sea trout. We also see some salmon. And this happens almost in the middle of the city, where we now get a high density of fish, says Knut Ståle Eriksen. Knut Ståle Eriksen has for several years been one of the volunteers who have helped to restore streams in Rogaland. Here, Møllebekken in Stavanger will get new spawning gravel in August 2020. Photo: Odd Rune Kyllingstad / news Good news for the rest of the country The work is being noticed in the rest of the country. Information manager at the Norwegian Hunters and Fishers Association, Espen Farstad, is impressed. – As an organizer, I am happy that we are succeeding in some of the areas we are involved in. The sea trout project in Rogaland, with Knut Ståle Eriksen at the head, is a success story like no other. Information manager Espen Farstad at the Norwegian Hunters and Fishers Association is happy that the sea trout are on their way back to Rogaland. Photo: Private Farstad says that there is a great commitment along the entire coast to preserve the sea trout. But that not everyone is as good as in Rogaland. – This certainly gives hope. In a time where the climate challenges are great, and the loss of nature is another great challenge, it is a pleasure to be able to say that there is actually hope if you get involved, do it on a solid professional basis, and take the measures that must to the streams, then it is useful, concludes Espen Farstad of the Norwegian Hunters and Fishermen’s Association. Many are with the Sea Trout Project in Rogaland has many partners. Both state bodies, municipalities, and not least volunteers from the Norwegian Hunting and Fishing Association. Maya Runde Stølen, project manager for watercourse restoration in Stavanger municipality, sees that life is returning to several streams in Stavanger after they have been restored to the way they were in the past. Photo: Thomas Ystrøm / news Project manager for waterway restoration in Stavanger municipality, Maya Runde Stølen, is happy about what is happening now. – Yes, this is absolutely stylish. We don’t have many streams left. Many of our waterways are in pipes underground. Therefore, this work is particularly valuable. Here we have eels, salmon and sea trout that we have to take care of.
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Over 100 streams in Rogaland have been restored to bring back the sea trout – news Rogaland – Local news, TV and radio
