Divers do unique find of hard coral in the North Sea – Focus on News

“It indicates that with good protection koudkwaterkoralen can return in parts of the North Sea,” the foundation. Now offer only wrecks some protection for all – sometimes threatened – plant and animal species. Expedition North Sea is an initiative of Foundation Dive the North Sea Clean and World Wildlife Fund (WWF).

In the past ten days, the expedition members researched valuable marine areas with greater need of protection, such as the Dogger Bank, the Frisian Front and Clover Bank. Of the original nature in the North Sea is now 60 percent deteriorated by economic activities such as fishing with heavy trawls, sand mining and oil and gas.

Sand Reefs
The discovery of the anjelierkoraal is a surprise to the researchers. Hard coral species lives in the North Sea as far as known only to the British coast and not in the middle of the North Sea. Another discovery of the expedition are small sand reefs in the Frisian Front that the special sand tube worm Sabellaria spinulosa make. Reefs attract many different life and were used extensively in the North Sea. Today they are considered extinct in Dutch waters.

,, The findings emphasize the need to protect ‘, the North said Chris van Assen, North Sea Expert of the WWF. ,, Underwater Nature has to recover, so that species such as cod, sharks, rays and even prevent the bluefin again in abundance. Potency But only if we maintain nurseries for biodiversity. “

Wrecks
Foundation Dive the North Sea Clean and WWF stress that wrecks, often exceeding hundred years old, should be maintained. ,, Wrecks are not only cultural and historical heritage, they are also real hotspots for biodiversity, ‘says Ben Stiefelhagen Dive the North Sea Clean. “They act as mini-sites and can help to recover.” “

the wealth of plant and animal species

The nature in the North Sea for decades is under heavy pressure. For example, by pollution, overfishing, fishing with heavy trawls and bottom plow, sand mining and oil and gas exploration has been a lot of life disappeared under water. Netherlands should therefore some areas will better protect the European Union. Currently, only a few places along the coast protected. In the rest of the North Sea are all kinds of malicious activity still fully permitted.