In October, the researchers mapped which species in the sea are most affected by human activity. Now the researchers have found out in which area these species are most affected. And what is it that disturbs the species. Both the Oslofjord and Lofoten are on the list of areas with the greatest risk. Have you been a tourist in Lofoten? Yes, I love Lofoten ? No, but I dream of going there ? No, and I don’t want to go there either ? I live in Lofoten ? Show result Four “scapegoats” Cecilie Hansen is a marine researcher and project manager for the survey. – The report provides an overview of the risk of particularly valuable and vulnerable areas being affected by human activity, she says. Marine mammals such as seals are particularly affected by noise, the researchers have found out. Photo: Atlanterhavsparken This is the third and last report the ocean researchers have produced to map the ocean area. In the first report, the researchers found out which areas were vulnerable. Hansen called the second report an encyclopedia for the particularly vulnerable species. This report is about how often there is human activity where these species live, and how large an area it takes place. Cecilie Hansen at the Norwegian Institute of Marine Research says that the report also provides an overview of how big a risk there is of the species being negatively affected by human activity. Photo: Christine Fagerbakke / Institute of Marine Research So which area is most exposed? Lofoten, the North Sea and the Oslofjord are the sea areas with the greatest risk of being negatively affected by us humans. These are all areas that are close to the coast. Fishing is one of the sectors that affects the marine area. This is both because the industry pollutes the sea, and because of some fishing gear used in fishing. Photo: Benjamin Fredriksen / news – All the activities we carry out contribute to the total load on the ecosystem. But some sectors contribute more than others, says Hansen. So who are the scapegoats that affect the marine area? There are four sectors in particular that stand out: Fishing Oil and gas Marine transport Tourism Marine researchers have seen, for example, that corals are particularly affected by trawl fishing. Photo: Institute of Marine Research In addition, the defense affects the sea area in some areas. Especially where they have shooting training near nesting areas for seabirds or near the area of marine mammals such as seals. – Some of the things that have surprised us the most is how big a risk there is of tourism affecting, says Hansen. Humans take the territory Johanna Myrseth Aarflot is the marine researcher who has worked the most on how tourism affects our vulnerable marine areas. – It is tourism and recreation, so it is in a way twofold. One is cruise tourism. Johanna Myrseth Aarflot at the Institute of Marine Research says that the tourism industry at sea affects in several ways. It concerns both noise under water and pollution from the ship. Photo: Paul S. Amundsen / Havforskningsinstituttet For example, how the measurements used on the ship and how much oil and sewage the ship discharges affect the sea. – Then comes the land-based recreation as well, says Aarflot. There may be tourists who stay in the beach zone and who seek out, for example, marine mammals. Among other things, whale watching is a type of food that the researchers see affects both mammals and seabirds. Photo: Vilma Taubo / news – In Lofoten and Vesterålen, there is widespread qualitism that disturbs marine mammals. Seabirds are particularly vulnerable to land-based tourism. – In what way are they disturbed? – It could be that seabirds will leave the nest instead to look after eggs or chicks, says Aarflot. – Or that the birds move to another area that is less favorable for them, because there are so many tourists in the area they ideally want to be. In other words, humans take the territories of the birds. In addition, there is littering in the beach zone. Are you worried that tourism will destroy the sea area outside Lofoten? Yes, especially with the marine researchers’ new report Well, maybe a little No, I’m not particularly worried about Show result – About visitor management Line Renate Samuelsen, day-to-day manager of Visit Lofoten, says that she is not particularly surprised that tourism is one of the industries which affects the sea area a lot. – These are things we are aware of and which we are actively working on. Among other things, they are part of the collaboration “Lofoten, the green islands 2030”, which works precisely to reduce the negative impact on nature from humans and society: – With this report, we see that we are already doing a lot right, says Samuelsen. Photo: John Inge Johansen / news They are now making a calculation to map different areas in order to understand what kind of nature they need to take more care of. – For example, in quail safaris, it’s about how close you get to the animals. There is currently a lot of work with that in Tromsø. – Does this mean that there must be less tourism in Lofoten? – It is about visitor management. Samuelsen says that they work with marketing so that people understand what it means to be a responsible tourist. Several actors in Lofoten drive tourists to natural areas with ribs. These boats can come very close to areas with marine mammals or seabirds. Photo: Lofoten Explorer – For example, it is important not to disturb animals during the breeding season. We also make the tour operators aware of this. She adds: – For example, one should not go ashore where there is a nature reserve with nesting seabirds. Now they are particularly working with sustainability strategies on cruises. Among other things, putting “Lofotvett rules” in place on the tourist ship. – Cruise tourism has a long way to go, because they have had a lot of trouble. But I think they have to change their industry if they are to be relevant in the future, says Samuelsen in Destination Lofoten. Photo: Heidi Munkvold – Knowledge is what is needed for us to further develop and move in the same direction. This is a good contribution in that respect, says the head of Visit Lofoten. Don’t point the finger Project manager Hansen at the Institute of Marine Research says that what surprised them the most was seeing the sum of all the impacts. – All the little ones contribute to a common risk, she says. But the researchers do not point the finger at any of the industries that are “worst”. That is up to the politicians to do. The entire research work will form the basis for a new management plan for the marine area. It has been announced that this will come in 2024. Nevertheless, the researcher believes that it will be a big trade-off how big a mark we will leave in the future. – If we are going to carry out activities on the water, we must respect how big a footprint we can leave.
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The marine area with the greatest risk of negative human impact – news Nordland
