Lilla Middelgrund
 
| ||
Lilla Middelgrund and Fladengrund off the coast of the Swedish province of Halland County
|
Lilla Middelgrund is a shoal on the Swedish side of the Kattegat in the province of Halland County . It is a Natura 2000 area.
description
The area with 17,863.7 hectares is about 20 kilometers west of the Swedish coast, at a depth between six and 55 meters. It consists of sublittoral sandbars and reefs . The sea floor consists of rock , stones and gravel down to a depth of 30 meters and is free of sedimentation due to the ocean current . Due to the large distance to the land, the water in this area is clear. Due to the low influence of the Baltic Current and the reduced turbidity, the salinity is higher than near the coast.
Lilla Middelgrund is marked on the northeast side by a light beacon .
flora
The area has a rich macroalgae - flora with many rare species. The occurrences of calcareous algae ( Haptophyta ) are unique in Sweden , along with those in the shallow Fladengrund .
fauna
Guillemots , razorbills and kittiwakes live in the area . Under the sea, Lilla Middelgrund is home to a large proportion of mussels , brittle stars , starfish and poly-bristles . The abundance of mussels of the Modiolus genus is also remarkable . In 2005 a total of 14 endangered species were counted in Lilla Middelgrund and the first finding of the crab species Upogebia pusilla in Scandinavia was recorded.
Lilla Middelgrund is the spawning area for most fish species in the Kattegat, such as herring . It is an important wintering retreat for seabirds , such as the world's most famous area for the razorbill. The often ice-free area is a meeting point for entire populations of animal species. It is also an important feeding place for seals ; Harbor porpoises are occasionally sighted, but the importance of the area for this species has not yet been clarified.
Species protection and the future
To protect this ecotope from fishing with bottom trawls , Greenpeace began sinking granite stones weighing several tons on August 10, 2009 with the approval of the Halland provincial government . By 2010 Lilla Middelgrund is to receive the status of a nature reserve .
Individual evidence
- ↑ Greenpeace : Sinking stones, giving living space - Greenpeace before Sweden ( Memento of the original from August 14, 2009 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
literature
- Trawl locks in the Kattegat, environmentalists sink rocks in the sea / dispute between Denmark and Sweden. By Gunnar Herrmann, Süddeutsche Zeitung, August 12, 2009
Web links
- Länsstyrelsen Hallands län: Bevarandeplan för Lilla Middelgrund (Swedish; PDF file; 309 kB)
- Map with Lilla Middelgrund and other shallows
Coordinates: 56 ° 57 ′ 0 ″ N , 11 ° 54 ′ 0 ″ E