The coastguard cleared Stokken

By Anne Line Gangså Tørressen, Climate and environmental advisor | The Environmental Protection Unit | Climate and land development.

On Wednesday 24 April, the Coast Guard participated in a large beach clean-up operation at Stokken outside Randesund, with 30 soldiers together with local forces.

Coincidence should have meant that Kristiansand received a visit from the Coast Guard, which normally stays in northern areas. The municipality received a request from the Coast Guard, which was in Kristiansand with one of its newest and largest ships, the KV Jan Mayen. They were going to stay over for a day, and got in touch because they wanted to contribute to a beach clean-up in the local area.

Extra cleaning crew for major action

─ This is a relatively new vessel with many conscripts. We have not had such actions for this group, but several have participated in similar actions in, for example, Lofoten. For our soldiers, this was an educational welfare day in the sun, in addition to which we were able to contribute with a positive action for the local community, says Operations Officer Daniel Karlsen at KV Jan Mayen.

For the locals in Kristiansand, this was a golden opportunity to carry out a major campaign with extra cleaning crews.

─ We made our way around and caught up with both Blåkors’ Marine Care Group, the Archipelago Service in the municipality and Søgne Diving Club. Thus, we were able to do a thorough and good job both above and below water together with the Coast Guard, says climate and environmental advisor Anne Line Gangså Tørresen.

Clear outdoor gem

The local actors regularly clean up litter in the beach zone in the Kristiansands area, and know well which areas should be prioritized. With a large group of soldiers, an even more thorough job than usual could be done. Stokken is a much-used outdoor area and also a place where a lot of rubbish floats ashore. Søgne Dykkerklubb contributed by picking up ghost gear, i.e. abandoned fishing lines and nets, in addition to rubbish from the seabed around Stokken.

In total, approximately 200 kg (40 bags) of rubbish were collected, which were largely small pieces of plastic, so a great effort was made. In addition, divers retrieved 21 ghost tools and eight tires.

Focus on microplastics

The soldiers who took part in the action were mostly in their first service, and thought it was good to have a day ashore with fresh air and sun. They were committed and careful, and gained a small insight into what are the biggest problems with waste along the southern coast.

Kyrre Melbø from Blue Cross organized the crew and gave instructions on what to look for and how different types of waste should be handled.

─ With a large cleaning crew, it was possible to prioritize the smallest pieces of plastic, which unfortunately can be overlooked because it is so time-consuming. But, the smallest pieces are the ones that lead to the biggest environmental challenges, says Melbø.

Microplastics and tiny pieces of plastic are a big challenge in the beach zone. A lot of plastic comes from construction activity, fisheries and consumer/disposable plastics. When larger pieces of plastic have been left out over time, they are broken up into small pieces, but they do not disappear. Fish, birds and other animals ingest the plastic and they enter the cycle.

The beach cleaners also found a lot of kerosene residue from the spill that was some time ago. This was handled as hazardous waste and collected separately.

Land crabs on board

In the middle of the day, the Coast Guard provided lunch on board Jan Mayen, and everyone who took part in the action got to come on board and look at the modern boat. They also provided light boats that could contribute with freight, together with the park service’s and the diving club’s boats.