Projects
News
Fifty European researchers, along with nearly as many engaged local residents, joined when SALT and NIVA invited to a boat trip in Raet this week! The occasion was the general assembly of the joint European Blue Connect Project, which focuses on the effective and equitable conservation of marine protected areas.
Steadily guided by Trygve Nordgaard from the Raet National Park Visitor Center, the trip offered wind in the hair, glimpses of sunshine, and lively discussions aboard the M/S Øya. The goal of the trip was to share knowledge and experiences about marine protected areas – with Raet being one of 12 European protected areas included in the project.
We are present at "Blått Kompass" during Ocean Week in Tromsø. Audun and Victoria from our Tromsø office are attending the conference, which is held annually by UiT The Arctic University of Norway and the Centre for the Ocean and the Arctic to mark the UN’s World Oceans Day on June 8.
– This is where people, sectors, and industries necessary to find sustainable solutions are brought together, said Director Sigri Stokke Nilsen from the Centre for the Ocean and the Arctic during the opening session of this year’s conference.
For SALT, Ocean Week has also provided an opportunity to discuss measures to save the blue forests beneath the sea, in an event hosted by the Centre for the Ocean and the Arctic and Marine Spark X. Marine biologist Victoria Eggen took part in the discussion on solutions to save our kelp forests.
As of today, there is no international system in place to monitor trash in rivers in the same way it is monitored along coastlines. This may change in the future. In collaboration with NORCE, SALT has been commissioned by the Norwegian Environment Agency to investigate plastic pollution in several Norwegian rivers. The purpose of the project, led by senior researcher Marte Haave at SALT, is to test and provide guidance to authorities on methods and indicators for monitoring marine litter in rivers.
The work is already underway — including in the Lier River, which in 2024 was documented by NORCE as Norway’s most polluted river.
SALT is now part of the international EU-funded Erasmus+ initiative BiodivOcean, which aims to enhance ocean literacy and promote knowledge about marine biodiversity through innovative education and citizen science.
SALT contributes expertise on Arctic ecosystems and brings experience in science communication for schools and communities – and will lead the effort to introduce the VIRTUE tools to Norwegian schools and teachers.
The pilot projects will take place in Troms and Finnmark, but are open to participants from across the country.
The project manager at SALT is Elina Hutton. Read more about the project here
