On Sweden's west coast lies the Western Sea with Sweden's saltiest water and the largest marine biodiversity. The Western Sea includes both Kattegat, Skagerrak, and the Øresund and is home to species such as mackerel, kelp, octopus, sea stars, corals, dolphins, and a total of 17 species of sharks.
Cod stocks are close to collapse in several Danish fishing waters, but in the Öresund the species seems to be recovering and this year there are record numbers of cod fry. This is thanks to the introduction of both a trawl ban and restrictions on all cod fishing.
Two million tonnes of partially contaminated sludge and mud from the construction of the artificial island of Lynetteholm in Copenhagen are currently being dumped in the Sound. Now criticism is growing in both Denmark and Sweden where there is concern for the marine environment
Öresund is a unique marine environment. In the waters between Denmark and Skåne, the sweet and oxygen-poor waters of the Baltic Sea meet the salty oxygen-rich water from the Kattegat. Trawl ban has been in place for almost 90 years
