The occasional dorsal fin splashes into the water in the wetland area in the Mönsterås area.
It's playtime for the pike but the sun and spring heat stay away, so much more than a little splash in the water we do not see when we meet Petter Tibblin who is researching pike at Linnaeus University in Kalmar.
- When the pike game here is going on, it boils in the water, he says.
15 years of research - the pike are declining in number
For almost 15 years, the pike's life and play in Kalmarsund have been researched and followed.
The number of pike has decreased a lot in recent years, but new knowledge may be the salvation for the pike of the future.
- We saw early on that it gives significantly more pike fry when restoring wetlands that benefit the reproduction of pike, says Petter Tibblin, and continues:
- Recently, we have worked on a study where we evaluate how it affects the amount of pike on the coast.
The restored wetland next to the researcher Petter Tibblin is the place where pike swim to play.
Great effect on the amount of pike also along the coast
Petter Tibblin implies that this is preliminary data because the information has not yet been published.
- We have trial fished in coastal bays with or without wetlands and what we see is that the wetland has a fairly large effect on the amount of pike on the coast.
It is a form of proof that more pike here also gives more pike out on the coast, says Petter Tibblin.
Therefore, according to Petter Tibblin, it is very important to protect wetland environments.
- In the area we are in today, the fish that come in here and play basically all the pike we have along the coast here outside.