This is already my last day at Arctic Seaweed AS outside of Bergen for the seeding season. I arrived a good ten days ago with relatively few expectations and actually wanted to stay a little longer. But there are supply bottlenecks here too and not as many lines could be deployed this season as planned.
Within these ten days, however, I was able to work at pretty much every station in the sowing process. Those were long and eventful days, starting with the pressing of the “spores” – ie very small “babies” of the later algae – onto long lines. In this stage the spores are almost invisible but towards the end of the growing season in spring they will grow as algaes between one and five centimeters – per day…
The “pressing” takes place with a specially developed machine and proceeds relatively quickly. Nevertheless, this work still requires a few people on the job as well.
We usually wait for favorable weather windows. That was not necessary this time. It was almost too nice (warm) weather, which hopefully didn’t affect the little algae babies too much. Anyways, after the pressing stage, we set out for the “put into the water stage”. This is of course a highlight if you like boats and the sea… Here these lines, which have been combined into a kind of web, are “strapped” into a special installation so that one can later e.g. hang the algae deeper or less deep under water or change the tension of the webs.,
In one day we did thirty lanes. A new record, which corresponds to about 20km of line.
Next, the yellow buoys – or rather the chains of the yellow buoys – were prepared in such a way that the entire installation could be lowered to the correct water depth. To do this, we drove up to each buoy, one person had to climb on it and attach a shackle to the chain at the desired length. Then the ship with the cranes came and lowered the chain at each buoy to the new water depth. Now we could see where a little more weight is needed to nicely balance the whole system.
For the final adjustments, we flexed old chains into pieces and fitted them with a webbing and carabiner. With that we went back out to the farm and the three biologists in their diving suits attached the weights to the right places. I was in the boat hanging the chains on buoys so the other three could easily transport them to the desired locations.
After the work is done, nothing can be seen from the lanes on the water surface unless you are right above it. Only the yellow buoys warn ships that there is no passage here. But it has enough space on the sides of the farm.
Now we have to wait and hope that the algae will continue to grow well this season. The first impressions of this should be visible in about two weeks. Then I won’t be here anymore, but I have already agreed that I will be back on site at the end of April for the harvest…
That’s so great what you are doing there. Thank you so much for your work and your dedication.
Let’s hope for the best of success.
Many thanks, Georgette!
This is great to hear Jan. I have no doubt, that your project will be a success and my donation is in good hands. Seaweed farming will become a large industry and I really appreciate your efforts and dedication to it. I am looking forward once being able to visit your plants in Norway!
Many thanks, Adrian! You are welcome anytime once we are up and running!!!