Kelp restoration in Øksfjord: a successful first step!
- Ruché, Holmgren & Gunnarsson
- Nov 15
- 4 min read
Updated: Nov 16
For two weeks in October, a team of volunteers joined us to restore a kelp forest along the Øksfjord jetty. We also had the pleasure of engaging with the local school and local community through outreach activities. Before we dive into the next stage, we’d love to share our progress with you!
A freediver in Øksfjord measuring urchin density before the restoration starts in October 2025.
Feel free to read this first article if you want to know more about the project. Leading partners are Lopphavet Marine Protected Area, Rissa Citizen Science, and artist Emma Gunnarsson from Arctic Lux. Documentary director and cinematographer Ismaele Tortella completes the team in the field.
Outreach with the local school
In the first week (October 15–21), we visited Høgtun Skole twice, while a storm turned the fjord upside down outside. Anita Holmgren, manager of the Lopphavet Marine Protected Area, opened with a short introduction to the project, followed by Ismaele Tortella’s screening of his documentary Stone Biter. Finally, Delphin Ruché, director of Rissa Citizen Science, tried to inspire the pupils withs kelp forest restoration stories.
The part of the jetty in Øksfjord that we are restoring.
Outdoor class
On the last two days, the storm calmed down, and it was our turn to welcome three classes outside, on the jetty. The groups rotated between a discovery game session led by Anita, an underwater drone exploration with Ismaele, and a citizen science experience with Delphin where the pupils measured and weighed sea urchins.
Pupils fron Høgtun Skole in Øksfjord discovering citizen science with Delphin Ruché.
A first record
During the second week (October 29- November 2), Delphin and Ismaele resumed the restoration work they had started earlier, removing urchins from the site, one at a time. Local divers Thor-Ingve Jensen and Gjøran Skognes joined the team and volunteered for two days, breaking a record on their second day, with 6,000 urchins removed in one session!
Typical view of the urchin barren before restoration in Øksfjord, with bare rock and large sea urchins.
Team effort and local support
As the weekend approached, more volunteers started coming from Tromsø, Honningsvåg and Kautokeino. In total, 13 more volunteers joined, either to dive or help from land. This time, the weather was on our side: without wind, the temperatures were mild, and the sea was relatively flat. We were grateful to Olav Martinsen and Silja Àrnadòttir for letting us pitch our tent near Olav parents’ house. This was a great addition, as everyone could change immediately after the dive in a warm shelter.
The team of volunteers on the kelp restoration site during the last weekend of October.
Many thanks to Høgtun Skole
Høgtun Skole generously opened its doors to our volunteers, letting them sleep in the school, a true lifesaver, since there was no other accommodation available in Øksfjord. Many of our volunteers were students on tight budgets who had already spent a full day traveling to get there. We’re incredibly thankful to the school’s director and teachers for their kindness and hospitality, some even came down to the jetty to lend a hand in their spare time!
Kelp forest restoration in Øksfjord, in October 2025.
From the sea to Loppakroa
Saturday evening was special. Lopphavet Marine Vernemrådet treated our volunteers to a delicious homemade taco dinner, and local teachers joined in the feast. By 7 p.m., everyone was at Loppakroa, one of Øksfjord’s two bars, for Ismaele Tortella’s screening of Stone Biter. The place was packed! The discussion that followed was rich with local memories. People remembered when kelp forests covered the fjord. One resident mentioned how, during last winter’s storm, waves threw rocks onto the road, a powerful reminder of how kelp forests once absorbed the force of the sea and protected the coast. As storms become more frequent and intense, that lesson feels more relevant than ever.
Discussion at Loppakroa pub after the project of Ismaele Tortella's documentary "Stone Biter".
Last day, and a new record!
Sunday was our last day diving. The volunteers broke the previous record and removed 6021 urchins in one session! And that is an impressive number, considering that towards the end, divers tend to look for the last urchins hiding under the rocks and in the cracks. In total, during these two weeks, we removed 33,871 urchins from the jetty and the large rock that together form the area we want to restore. And we can say it: the area is clear of urchins. Kelp and other algae can now grow back.
The volunteers on the kelp restoration site in Øksfjord, November 2025.
What’s next?
Artist Emma Gunnarsson from Arctic Lux, and Anita Holmgren will be back in Øksfjord at the end of November. They will be going to schools and nursing homes to hold art workshops. There will be an open art workshop with cyanotype on Wednesday, November 26, and an art exhibition with all the art from the week at the community center on Friday, November 28. The exhibition is a collaboration with Loppa Municipality, who is showing pictures from this year's "species hunt" (artsjakt).
Close ups of the site, by Ismaele Tortella, October 2025.
Then, we’re planning to return to Øksfjord in the spring to see how kelp and other seaweeds are growing. However spring is still far off, and sea urchins might make a comeback sooner than we’d like. That’s why we’re now applying for extra funding to organize another trip at the end of winter. We also hope to support our volunteers by covering part of their food, travel, and accommodation costs, and to get more locals involved in the effort to bring back the kelp forests.
Stay tuned! In just a few weeks, artist Emma Gunnarsson will return to Øksfjord with an exciting art project for local youth and elders!
A class from the Høgtun skole on the jetty in Øksfjord in October 2025.
In addition to those already mentioned in this article, we extend our gratitude to Brisk Aqua AS for kindly allowing us to use one of their shelters to dry our diving equipment each night. We also thank Støa kafé og spiseri for offering a good price on the apartment rental.
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