A huge, rust-red metal cylinder has been lowered to the bottom of Store Lungegårdsvannet. It will provide shelter for crabs, small and large fish - maybe even eels?
The reef, which weighs 1.5 tons and is shaped like a large "O", is a gift from the Aquarium to The City of Bergen.
- It's made of scrap metal from Helge Ingstad," says Aquarium Director Terje Breivik.
He is referring to the frigate KNM "Helge Ingstad", which sank in Hjeltefjorden in 2018 after a collision with a tanker.
A new hiding place
The reef has been an ornament on the Aquarium's roof for a few years. Now it's going to be put to good use as a shelter at a depth of 14 meters.
- "We created a new seabed in Store Lungegårdsvannet just over a year ago. We can already see that life is returning, which is incredibly nice," says Anne Christine Knag, head of the Urban Environment Agency's Cleaner Port of Bergen project.
In the years to come, the Cleaner Port project will closely monitor developments at the seabed.
Among other things, the project is collaborating with NORCE, which is studying the effect of the measures in Store Lungegårdsvannet.
The checks show that the number of both species and individuals has skyrocketed since the old, contaminated seabed was covered.
- But in Store Lungegårdsvannet there is a lack of good hiding places for fish and animals," says Knag.
Hopefully, the reef will now grow with seaweed, kelp and algae.
- It will provide even better shelter for wildlife. "There are already a lot of fish in the area, there are crayfish, and maybe an eel or two? That would be fun," says the project manager.
Read more about the project on Bergen municipality's website.
Text: Håvard Prestegården.
