Blue BIOrdinaries: Multi-disciplinary methods and vernacular understandings of marine biodiversity shifts

BIOrdinary Summer School, Bohuslän, 16-19 June 2024

Every year, the BIOrdinary team organises a summer school, bringing together people from diverse academic and professional backgrounds to explore how biodiversity shifts are perceived and managed in ‘ordinary places’ — areas marked by habitation, trade and agriculture.

This year’s summer school focused on vernacular understandings of marine biodiversity shifts on the West Coast of Sweden. To explore how various stakeholders perceive local biodiversity and its changes, the BIOrdinary team and our guest, consisting of a diverse group of people from various academic and professional backgrounds, met with marine biologists, government officials, entrepreneurs working with aquaculture and coastal tourism, and representatives of the local population – all of whom have daily interactions with marine worlds.

Our base camp was at the Tjärnö Marine Laboratory, situated on Tjärnö island in northern Bohuslän. The bright-red research station is located next to Kosterhavet National Park, which is well-known for being Sweden’s most species-rich marine area. For three days, around thirty participants from Sweden and beyond engaged in field excursions, hands-on experiments in the laboratory, and interdisciplinary discussions led by questions such as:

How do different actors see the challenges in biodiversity in their ordinary places of life and work?
How have marine biologists conceptualized and understood changes of biodiversity in the area over the years?
How could anthropology potentially broaden the biological understanding of marine species and their entanglements?

The summer school kicked off on Sunday evening with Naga anthropologist Dolly Kikon and geologist Neivikhotso Chaya opening their exhibition titled Old Ocean in the Himalayas: Indigenous Ecology, Geology, and Landscape.

Adopting a framework of decolonisation to address an extractive regime that considers mountains and rivers as lifeless entities for humans to assert their dominance, this exhibition drew on Indigenous lifeworlds of salt, land, and soil. Following traditional methods of making salt among the Naga people in the Eastern Himalayas – and Indigenous commitment to maintaining ties with the past and the present – Dolly and Neivi’s research creatively showcased how deep histories of land, geology, and time are intertwined through salt, stories, and spirits.

Day 1: Diving for oysters, collecting periwinkles

and experimenting in the lab

The first day of the school was dedicated to learning how to observe marine biodiversity in the field and conduct natural science experiments in the lab. Åsa Strand, researcher at IVL and Sweden’s foremost expert with decades-long experience of Pacific oysters, held a morning lecture on aquatic species and habitats, teaching us about the specific tools, skills, and methods biologists use when conducting marine research.

Much of the terms Åsa used – such as hard bottoms and soft sediments, nekton and plankton, pelagic waters and deep seas – were novel to participants with social science backgrounds. While wrapping our heads around these unfamiliar terminologies was no easy endeavour, we could all agree that collaboration between the natural and social sciences is essential to better understand the sea and its more-than-human lifeworlds.

After the lecture, we suited-up put and got ready for our first field excursion in the adjacent bay. Those who wanted to snorkel put on thick wetsuits to keep us warm in the chilly North Sea water (and protect us from stingy jellyfish!), snorkels, and flippers. Those who preferred wading suited-up with rubber-boots.

We were instructed to observe how the Pacific oysters, classified by Swedish and European authorities as ‘invasive alien species’ (IAS), relate to the species around them and find habitats where these newcomers appear to thrive. To the right, a pacific oyster cluster with several oysters, periwinkle, barnacles, blue mussels, and some algae among other species. A small multi-species community.

In the afternoon, it was time for a second seaside excursion on the neighbouring island of Saltö. Upon arrival, we were divided into two groups. Each group would take turns collecting two types of periwinkle species that reside in different spots in the shallow bay. Martin Larsvik, instructor at the Tjärnö Marine Laboratory handed out tweezers and sampling containers.

Group 1 started by collecting the periwinkles that populate the rocky shoreline. Good eyesight and flexible limbs were needed to spot and get hold of the tiny circular beings hiding in-between the boulders!

Group 2 was tasked with gathering an even smaller type of periwinkle that thrives on the cliffs more directly exposed to the sea and wind. Bo Johannesson, our second instructor at the Tjärnö Marine Laboratory, offered advice on how to best proceed.

Climbing down the slippery rocks required teamwork – and a great deal of courage!

Once back at Tjärnö Marine Laboratory, it was time to bring our periwinkles to the test. Participants got split into smaller groups and conducted various experiments using natural science tools and methods to discern how the two periwinkle species differed. Bo taught us how to see significant qualities, note relevant quantities, and use this information to say something about the relationships between species and their habitats.

Participants categorised the two variants by measuring features such as size, shape and colour. Analysing behaviour patterns is another natural science method used to understand why species thrive in specific environments. Rival crabs kindly stepped in to facilitate analysis of the periwinkles’ behaviour under stress!

Periwinkles attached to a cliff. Photo credit: Daria Shipilina

It turned out that the two species were one species only some 30 years ago! The very different habitats, one sheltered and the other exposed to the rough sea weather, made a perfect opportunity for rapid evolution.

After a fun but intense day in the shoes of marine biologists, we turned to terrestrial more-than-human environments. Ursula Munster, Associate Professor of Environmental Humanities and the director of the Oslo School of Environmental Humanities, wrapped up the day by giving an eye-opening lecture on anthropogenic soils.

Day 2: Exploring ways of living with, and off, the sea in Koster

On the second day of the summer school, we turned to ways of living with the sea. A traditional way of living off the sea in Sweden is by fishing, but it has for a long time been on decline due to overfishing, pollution by excess fertilisation, and climate change impacts. However, while some practices are dying out, others are being introduced. Tourism now complements the declining fishing economy, and more recently, experimental aquaculture has started gaining ground.

In the morning, and after an unexpected but fortunately short-lived downpour, we embarked on the ferry that would take us to the Koster Islands: a group of two large islands (North and South Koster) and several skerries and islets located in Sweden’s only marine national park, Kosterhavet.

On board, we split into smaller groups to brainstorm new concepts for a 'Summer School Dictionary' that would be useful in understanding and discussing marine biodiversity dilemmas. Inspired by Åsa Strand’s lecture and the biological term ‘barren zone’, describing an area of bare rock that is unable to support any lifeforms, one group coined the term ‘barren zone thinking’, which they defined as:

the inability to bridge the terrestrial and aquatic gap; a fear of an ‘ontological no-man’s zone

The collaborative exercise sparked fun and fruitful conversations about new ways of seeing, knowing and thinking about more-than-human entanglements. Japanese artist and summer school participant Hiroko Tsuchimoto compiled the list of new concepts and created this beautiful artwork. Thanks, Hiroko!

Our first stop was at OSTREA, a local oyster hatchery that performs innovative experiments to grow European flat oysters (Ostrea edulis – the native oyster-predecessor of the ‘invasive’ Pacific oyster, Magallana gigas) and the microalgae which the oysters feed on, with the long-term objective of producing spat for export to European oyster farms. Ostrea’s CEO, Christian Vorbeck, shared his expertise and expectations for the future of aquaculture industries.

A guided tour of the hatchery followed. In contrast to the rather effortless farming of seaweed, growing oysters is a high-tech affair. The facility has been adapted to optimise the conditions during the oyster larvae’s intricate development.

Oysters not only contribute to reducing eutrophication and improving water quality by eating phytoplankton and small bits of algae, but they can also help restore marine habitats as oyster reefs provide homes for fish – much like corals. The ability to make significant changes in the ecosystem (with effects for other species) makes them what marine biologists call “ecosystem engineers”. Moreover, oysters are full of protein, minerals and vitamins, which make them both a so-called “superfood” and perhaps a more sustainable alternative to escape-prone farmed fish.

After lunch, we walked over to our second stop of the day. At Naturum Kosterhavet, we were welcomed by Anita Tullrot, biologist and marine nature conservation manager at the County Administrative Board of Västra Götaland, who gave a talk about biodiversity governance in protected areas. Given that Kosterhavet is a marine protected area (MPA), specific rules and regulations apply regarding activities at sea.

At our third and last stop for the day, we met with Göran Larsson, chair of Kosters Hembygdsförening (Koster’s Community Association). Göran talked to us about how the proximity to the sea has influenced life on the island. The boat house that today hosts a local museum was once a locale for conserving and storing herring. The small-scale Koster fishermen have throughout history adapted to shifts in biodiversity: targeting species when in abundance and allowing them to recover when scarce.

Day 3: Harvesting seaweed at Tjurpannan Nature Reserve

Throughout history, the need for food and dependency on the environment have connected humans with other species in existential and spiritual ways. However, many of these more-than-human relationships have gone lost in the modern quest for omnipotent and merciless human government.

In The Gospel of the Eels, Patrik Svensson suggests that the ban on eel fishing also leads to a loss of knowledge about the eels, and a loss of a century, if not millennia, long relationship between humans and these marine creatures. While the critically endangered eel risks extinction unless protection is secured, what other connections might there be between humans and marine lifeforms dwelling below the surface?

On the last day of the summer school, we once again explored new ways of knowing the sea. This time, from a culinary perspective. At Tjurpannan Nature Reserve, located on the southwestern part of the Havstensund peninsula, we plunged into the shallow bays to forage marine species that can turn bare subsistence into an exquisite feast.

Linnéa Sjögren, our local guide for the day and seaweed expert, found delicacies in the most unexpected places. Linnéa is a certified seaweed diver, author of the book Plocka tång och strandväxter (Pick seaweed and beach plants), and founder of a small seaweed company called Catxalot [catch-a-lot] that supplies restaurants with hand-picked seaweed and beach plants. Having worked with Swedish seaweed for about a decade, Linnéa believes we should get inspired by other cultural cuisines, and that it is about time we give seaweed its obvious place in Swedish food culture.

Stopping to try some beach plants. To the left, participants are trying sea kale (Crambe maritima). Linnéa taught us that the stem can be used as asparagus and the young leaves as cabbage. To the right, participants are snacking on another beach plant, commonly known as glasswort (Salicornia europaea). While it does not have the most appealing look, this plant is crispy and salty, and can be eaten raw, boiled, or fried in butter for extra flavour.

When we arrived to our designated snorkelling spot, participants got ready to explore the underwater worlds. First things first: putting on our wetsuits, cyclops, and snorkels. Next: getting into the water. Since Tjurpannan lacks protective outer archipelago, it is one of the most weather exposed parts of coastal Bohuslän. Luckily, the weather was on our side!

Inspired by “rubber-boots” and “snorkelling” methods, this exercise allowed us to sense, feel, smell, and taste the marine environment. The sensory experience of swimming in the dense algae forests brought participants closer than ever to the underwater world.

Various types of seaweed were collectively gathered, including sea lettuce (Ulva lactuca/fenestrata), sugar kelp (Saccharina latissima), saw wrack (Fucus serratus), and bootlace weed (Chorda filum) – also known as mermaid’s fishing line! Linnéa offered advice on how to dry, store, and cook the foraged goods. Her enthusiasm left many of us optimistic about future sustainable, nutritious, and delicious food systems.

Before saying goodbye to the West Coast and concluding the BIOrdinary Summer School 2024, we enjoyed a picnic on the cliffs paired with seaweed bread spread, seaweed kimchi, and many more delicious ocean treats prepared by Linnéa.

Last but not least, a big thank you to all participants for coming along and, by learning together, growing our common understanding of marine biodiversity shifts and dilemmas!