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Research Vessel Dr Fridtjof Nansen Docks in Mombasa After Kenya Survey
The Dr Fridtjof Nansen completed a three-week marine survey off Kenya's coast and docked at the Port of Mombasa under the Kenyan flag. Kenyan scientists collected data on fish larvae, plankton and plastic pollution using specialized equipment aboard the vessel.
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The research vessel Dr Fridtjof Nansen is docked at the Port of Mombasa under the Kenyan flag, AllAfrica reported. Commissioned in 2017, the ship carries laboratories, acoustic systems and ocean-monitoring equipment that support up to 30 scientists during expeditions.
The vessel operates through a partnership between the Food and Agriculture Organisation and Norway's Institute of Marine Research under the Nansen Programme.
The programme works with 33 countries across Africa and the Bay of Bengal to strengthen fisheries management and generate data on marine ecosystems. Three scientists from the Kenya Marine and Fisheries Research Institute spent three weeks aboard the vessel surveying waters from the Pemba Channel to Kiunga near the Kenya-Somalia border.
They used a rosette sampler to measure salinity, dissolved oxygen, ocean acidification and productivity at different depths.
The team also deployed plankton nets, a manta net and bongo nets to collect samples of plankton, fish larvae and floating plastic. Kathrine Michalsen, a survey coordinator from Norway's Institute of Marine Research, described the three main nets used on the trawl deck: a bottom trawl, a pelagic trawl and a setup to verify echo sounder readings.
A KMFRI scientist said plastic pollution is the next elephant in the room and noted that samples were obtained even offshore.
The same scientist stated there could be more plastic than fish in the water within fifty years. Data from the larvae sampling helps KMFRI advise Kenya's Fisheries Service on breeding seasons and future fish recruitment. The information gathered supports government decisions on fisheries management, conservation planning and ocean-based economic development.
