Location - Bridge and Tributary

Here I have posted a map to show where Gamle Nygårdsbro is in Bergen, and also to show the tributary, Møllendalselven, that runs into the fjord / lake from the Svartediket reservoir.

It wasn't until my recent sightings of what appear to be some kind of trout - or perhaps Char - that I began thinking about this as an important relative of Gamle Nygårdsbro and it's environment. It so happens that I work right next to Møllendalselven, so I have made many interesting observations there too.

When I started working there in the summer of 2009, there were usually small trout hanging out in a pool under the bridge by my work place. Since the construction of new student apartments began on the opposite bank of the river, however, that pool has been deserted - although I have seen the local heron catch a trout, and there are still very small "minnows" to be seen regularly in the river. Not only have the construction company shovelled unwanted rubble into the river (they stopped when I came out with a video camera) but they have various drains pumping into it. Occasionally the water gets very cloudy, which may be the result of drainage from the construction site or perhaps something further up stream.

If the fish that I have seen from Gamle Nygårdsbro are trout or char, then I expect that they spawn up the river, although "river" feels like a bit of an overstatement, as it's so shallow for most of the summer that it could almost be called a stream. It is easy to imagine that spawning will be harder during the ongoing construction project, but hopefully not bad enough to have long term consequences??

Location of Gamle Nygårdsbro and Møllendalselven

Cloudy water in Møllendalselven (Møllendals River)
24/05/12, 17:31

Intro Post - The Begining!

I first moved over the bridge (house that is) in 1998. Since then I have walked over the bridge many times over the coarse of an average week, and at all times of day.
I have always been fascinated by the marine and wildlife that live around this bridge, and have enjoyed following the various bicycles, shopping trolleys and other stuff that has been thrown in and (occasionally) fished out again.
When I first started paying attention to this area, staring into the water every time I walked past, there were always fish to be seen. This was part of the initial fascination.
Since then, the site has been through periods when people fished there very actively from the bridge, and now I spot fish more seldom there.
The Sea bed has also changed dramatically several times; at one point there were thousands of starfish all over the bed, and at other times there have been many more muscles. Perhaps these changes have been due to various building projects, such as the installation of the new light railway that now drives along the rout, perhaps due to municipal projects to clean the fjord, or most likely a combination of parameters at various times.
Now that I have a decent camera on my phone, I have decided (finally) to start this blog that is committed to documenting all environmental changes and observations made along Gamle Nygårdsbro.
The most obvious change taking place at the point of this post, is the construction of a large public art installation by Thorsten Goldberg. It replaces a rather interesting natural feature that has been a favourite spot for the local heron, and for the undergraduate arts students from "KiB" who are annually challenged to create something site specific in the area. This is an area that has been subject to relentless change over the past 10 years or so, and I expect such changes will continue, but what they might entail remains to be seen!