Developing technologies for oxygenation of hypoxic bottom areas, reducing environmental impact from ships and large-scale mussel farming in the northern Baltic Sea

Organisation: Government of Åland

Time: 3/1/2010 – 3/1/2017

Description:

The commitment has three separate parts:

a) The Government of Åland supports development of technologies which, using wave power without external energy input, oxygenate deep hypoxic bottom areas in the archipelago. Simultaneously, the importance of the internal load impact on water quality in the archipelago areas will be explored, including calculations using computer models to clarify the importance and potential result of similar technology.

b) The Government of Åland has committed itself to actively take part in the Clean Shipping-priority area under the EU Baltic Sea Strategy with the aim to reduce environmental pollution from ships. The Government of Åland will thereby support on-going processes and work in close cooperation with HELCOM and other key partners.

c) The Government of Åland will launch a large-scale mussel farming pilotproject in Åland. Large scale farms have yet not been tested so far north in the Baltic Sea. The long-term objective is an increased circulation of nutrient substances. Various possible uses will be tested: meal from mussels as fish farm feed, mussels as fertilizer in agriculture locally and possibilities of locally produced mussels as ingredient in delicatessen food.

Objective of the Commitment
a) The objective is to find a sustainable method to decrease the internal load. The impact will hopefully be permanent.

b) The projects in the Clean Shipping-priority area aim at permanent solutions and measures to reduce environmental impact from ships.

c) The objective is to get an permanent increased circulation of nutrient substances in the Baltic Sea.