In 2020, while in Jammer Bay, Denmark, explorer, diver and mapping expert Klaus Thymann made a remarkable discovery. On the seabed, which he expected to be just sand, he found cold-water corals called dead man’s fingers, along with a rich variety of other sea life. “It was not known that the seafloor had such a varied habitat,” says Thymann, “and that really prompted me to create a project so we can find out what’s actually going on down there.”
Officially, the area is classed as a sandbank and is heavily fished by beam trawlers, large vessels whose nets reach and damage the floor, potentially destroying anything living there. Now, Thymann and a team of researchers from the Technical University of Denmark are studying the area. By deploying simple underwater cameras, the team collects visual data from the seabed. This, coupled with samples of eDNA – genetic material that has ended up in the water – and topographical maps, is allowing them to create a rich picture of the Jammer Bay seafloor that Thymann hopes may one day halt destructive fishing methods. “In my view, it would be nice if beam trawling wasn’t allowed. It shouldn’t be allowed. It’s too invasive,” he says. “But to come back with a scientific argument for that is what we could do with this project.”
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