Row over the Atlantic: a new collaboration to save the Baltic harbour porpoise

CCB • May 25, 2021

Coalition Clean Baltic (CCB) and the Swedish adventurers Måns Kämpe and Sören Kjellkvist [1] are pleased to announce the  launch of a collaboration to save the endangered Baltic whale, the harbour porpoise . Måns and Sören will during the winter of 2021-22 row over the Atlantic from Portugal to the Caribbean, a journey of about 6000 kilometers which will take around 3 months. 

Throughout the rowing, Måns and Sören will write a daily report (both in English and Swedish) by publishing updates on the journey and facts & figures on the harbour porpoise [2]. The aim is to raise awareness about the Baltic harbour porpoise, which currently has less than 500 animals left and is near extinction [3], due to bycatch [4], contaminants and underwater noise.

As a preparation for the big adventure Sören and Måns will row from Stockholm to Visby during the Almedalen Week [5] in the beginning of July and there, together with Coalition Clean Baltic, will share information, create opinion and collect signatures to raise awareness and put pressure for the implementation of emergency measures to protect this cetacean population. 

“Both Sören and I are deeply committed to life in the seas, and we both feel that it is horrible that the only species of whale living in the Baltic Sea is facing extinction. We want to share and debate, and dedicate our adventure to the important issue of saving the Baltic harbour porpoise. CCB helps us with training materials and the scientific expertise needed to make a real difference”

said Måns Kämpe.

Ida Carlén, Biodiversity and Nature Conservation Officer at Coalition Clean Baltic, added:

“We work to achieve the changes required to save the Baltic harbour porpoise and help it stabilize, and our collaboration with Måns and Sören gives us the chance to bring this issue out through media to a wider audience. A lot of people are not even aware that there is a species of whale in the Baltic Sea, and that it is so close to extinction.”

We want to preserve the Baltic biodiversity and urgent action can still prevent the extinction and save the Baltic porpoise.

  • You can read the PR in Swedish here

    Ro över Atlanten: ett nytt samarbete för att rädda Östersjötumlaren


    Coalition Clean Baltic (CCB) och de svenska äventyrarna Måns Kämpe och Sören Kjellkvist [1] har nöjet att presentera uppstarten av ett samarbete för att rädda Östersjöns utrotningshotade val, östersjötumlaren. Måns och Sören kommer under vintern 2021-22 att ro över Atlanten, från Portugal till Västindien, en resa på ungefär 6000 kilometer som kommer att ta cirka 3 månader. 



    Under rodden kommer Måns och Sören att skriva dagliga rapporter (på både svenska och engelska), med uppdateringar om rodden samt fakta och information om östersjötumlaren [2]. Målet är att öka medvetenheten om östersjötumlaren, som nu består av mindre än 500 individer och är nära att utrotas [3], på grund av bifångst [4], föroreningar samt undervattensbuller.


    Som en förberedelse för det stora äventyret kommer Sören och Måns att ro från Stockholm till Visby under Almedalsveckan [5] i början av Juli, och där tillsammans med Coalition Clean Baltic informera, skapa opinion och samla namnunderskrifter för att öka medvetenheten och skapa ett tryck för de akuta åtgärder som behövs för att rädda och skydda denna valpopulation.


    “Både Sören och jag är djupt engagerade för livet i haven, och vi känner båda att det är fruktansvärt att den enda val som lever i Östersjön är nära att utrotas. Vi vill berätta och debattera, och tillägnar vårt äventyr den viktiga frågan om att rädda östersjötumlaren. CCB hjälper oss med utbildningsmaterial och den vetenskapliga expertis som behövs för att göra verklig skillnad”

    sade Måns Kämpe.


    Ida Carlén, expert hos Coalition Clean Baltic, lade till:

    “Vi arbetar för att åstadkomma de förändringar som behövs för östersjötumlaren ska kunna överleva och stabiliseras, och samarbetet med Måns och Sören ger oss chansen att få ut frågan i media och till en bredare publik. Många människor känner inte ens till att det finns en val-art i Östersjön, och att den är så nära att utrotas.”



    Vi vill bevara den biologiska mångfalden i Östersjön, och akuta åtgärder kan fortfarande hindra utrotningen och rädda östersjötumlaren.


    REFERENSER

    [1] Måns Kämpe och Sören Kjellkvist är äventyrare med ett stort engagemang för att uppleva, lära sig, inspirera, dela med sig, utbilda och debattera kring djur och natur, på land och i haven.

    [2] Måns Kämpes och Sören Kjellkvists blogg: 

    https://sorenkjellkvist.se/start_slider/aventyrsbeskrivning-ro-over-atlanten/

    [3] Östersjötumlaren är klassad som kritiskt utrotningshotad av The International Union for Conservation of Nature, IUCN:

    http://www.iucnredlist.org/details/17031/0

    https://ccb.se/harbour-porpoise/

    [4] Bifångst är den fångst av icke avsedda arter såsom östersjötumlare, delfiner, havssköldpaddor och sjöfåglar som sker vid fiske. Detta är ett av de största hoten mot östersjötumlaren: 

    https://ccb.se/2021/05/bycatch-of-critically-endangered-baltic-sea-harbour-porpoise-must-stop/

    [5] Almedalsveckan (även kallad Politikerveckan) är ett årligt återkommande evenemang i början av Juli i Almedalen på Gotland. Med tal, seminarier och andra politiska aktiviteter betraktas den som det viktigaste forumet i svensk politik: 

    https://almedalsveckan.info/english




NOTES

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