We managed to renovate the center and it is now open! come and visit us upstairs of the old “Damperiet” next to Henningsvaer Bryggehotell, the entrance is at the waterfront.
we are there every day from 14-18 o clock and safaris will start on Tuesday.
I want to thank all the people that helped me: Einar, Bettina und Manfred, Peter, Rob and Gert-Jan, Helge, Frank and Odd Petter.
Hope to welcome you soon, Heike
Pictures from the renovation:
I am sorry but it takes longer to renovate our new location next to Bryggehotel in Henningsvaer. we hope we can open next Saturday 05.06.2010.
Excursions, lectures and exhibtions will be available thereafter. I will keep you updated.
If you feel like swinging a painting brush, come by!
Welcome to Henningsvaer!
Best wishes, Heike
After 4 months of cruising around and discovering the beautiful wildlife of the fjord system of Aysen in Chile, I have now selected the best pictures (90) for you. The project was organised by the Center for Scientific Tourism at CIEP in Coyhaique and Ocean Sounds in Norway. We used different boats and crew members to cover an area from Puerto Montt to Laguna San Rafael. We encountered 8 different species of whales and dolphins and many seals and birds during our excursions. I took pictures for identification and to create Photo-ID catalogues to monitor the biodiversity and study the acoustic communication of whales. I recorded many hours of sounds of blue whales, sei whales, bottlenose, peale’s and chilean dolphins as well as pilot whales.
Enjoy!
saludos, Heike
the amount of farms, the resulting impact on the marine ecosystem and amount of the garbage floating around in the fjords of Aysen is huge!
Please read this article on the national geopgraphic to learn more and we will update you with our information soon..
After 10 days searching the fjords and channels of Aysen on a boat I am back at the Institute for Scientific Tourism in Coyhaique.
We had some problems with the boat and crew on our first day, but then we quickly found a new boat and crew and off we went. We found many islands with breeding birds and seals and some species where familiar (e.g. common and arctic tern..), but others I have never seen before (pelicans).
In the channels we often encounters Peale’s and Chilean dolphins that came to the boat for a short time. Out on the Moraleda channel we encountered 2 different groups of Bottlenose dolphins and we could take Photo-ID and sound recordings of these animals. They were as usual very inquisitive and showed themselves perfectly for pictures. It wasn’t the same group we encontered last year. A little further away we saw Blue whales and Humpback whales feeding on plankton and krill.
It feels good to know that Whales are protected in Chile and no whaler comes around the corner. However, the salmon inustry has covered most of the fjords with their farms and the first impression of wild and untouched nature is destroyed. On remote wild beaches you will find plastic garabage from the farms, but also from our zivilisation.
Well, for now enjoy the pictures:
We just received good news, Ocean Sounds has found a new place to continue in Henningsvaer, Lofoten next year!
The Bryggehotel offered us a new place to have our center. It is the largest hotel in Henningsvaer, right at the entrance at the big parking place. We will move into a small building called “Trandamperiet” after our break in May. More to that and pictures will follow later.
I will be working in Chile / Patagonia with CIEP until the end of April, then visit the Max Planck Institute in Goettingen in May and return to Norway thereafter. News will follow as they come…..
We look very much forward to working together with the people from the “Bryggehotel” and to see you all next summer!
Have a wonderful New Year!
Best wishes,
Heike
On my walk along the road from Henningsvaer I found a dead harbour porpoise floating in the bay. His right temple of the head was smashed in and the lower jaw was half ripped off. He also had a long scar along his belly. Maybe he was caught in fishing gear and the fisherman killed him when he pulled him out of the net. We have 20-30 harbour porpoises that live around Henningsvaer – Skrova and the major problem for these animals is being caught in fishing gear. Worldwide over 300 000 marine mammals die yearly because they got entangled in fishing gear (WWF). 3 killer whales entangled themselves in fishing gear in the Vestfjord during the last 4 years, one could be freed, whereas the others may have died. Bascin sharks are regularly caught as bycatch in fishing gear in the Vestfjord. Entanglements seem to be a rather common problem in this area and the effects on the marine mammal populations should be studied as part of the mutli species management plan of Norway.
As a result of several difficulties we are forced to close Ocean Sounds for 5 months!
We are currently looking for a new place and will reopen next May. During the closing time you can only reach us via email: info@ocean-sounds.com
Updates will be available on this web page, stay with us!
Unfortunately the herring has not yet come into the Vestfjord, but we have had regular visits of groups of killer whales. They seem to swim into the fjord from the north. They have been seen all the way in the entrance of Tysfjord. The orcas seem to rest there for a few days and then leave the fjord again. We are still very interested in Photos from the orcas in order to clearly to identify the individuals. If any of you were so lucky to see them and want to join your photos with us, please contact us: info@ocean-sounds.com
Thank you!
finally killer whales were seen on the 4th of November just outside the lighthouse of Henningsvaer and later in the opening of the harbour of Svolvaer. On the 5th of November a large group (10-15 animals) were seen by the ferry of Loedingen! there is at least one group here searching for herring and we can’t say whether they will find some herring and stay or whether they will leave again soon. I have no pictures or sounds yet and I can’t say whether these killer whales are known to us. it would be interesting to find out if these whales were here before and when. if anybody has pictures and want to share them with us please contact us: info@ocean-sounds.com, thank you!
we have received a message and pictures of 3 killer whales (1 male + 2 female or juvenile) travelling through Gimsoystraumen around 10 o’clock on the 5th of November. they were on their way to the Vestfjord and maybe joined the group of whales that was later seen by the Loedingen ferry.
Pictures and information was provided by Eric Fokke, a nature photographer (www.lofotenbilder.no).
Such information is vital for the research and we hope that more people will contact us when they see whales!
here are 2 pictures taken by Eric Fokke:
