Easter Weekend - Friday 22nd April 2011

Well just about everything closes in Denmark for the Easter weekend so there were no eel farms or Universities to visit but it was nice to spend a bit of time with my family.

Up early and packed a picnic for Amager beach, a few metro stops to the North of the city.  Literally 500yds out of the station you come across this wide expanse of bays and inlets with little bridges going across to a larger sand bar.  The whole area was joined with walk-ways and cycle-paths.

We crossed the bridge and set up camp near the very calm waters edge and had lunch.  The kids had a lovely time collecting shells and building sand castles and after about an hour and a half we took a short stroll round to a coffee house for light refreshment before heading back into town.

First stop was the impressive Rundetarn, or Round Tower built in 1642 as an observatory.  The most impressive bit was the tower where you walk up a big spiral pathway, all the way to the top, over 100ft.  The views of the city were fantastic!  The rest of the church building was used as an art gallery, museum of historical artefacts and a function room for occasional concerts.  Apparently it used to be part of the University Library where Hans Christian Anderson himself came to study.

After this we plotted a course across town that would take us to the Little Mermaid statue, a sort of pilgrimage for anyone visiting Copenhagen.  On the way we passed through the Kings Gardens (Kongens Have) which is similar to Hyde Park.  It was a beautiful day but we couldn’t believe how many people were there, almost every blade of grass was taken up with picnic blankets and all permutations of families, friends and individuals were represented.  It must be a  bank holiday tradition for locals there.  The kids had a nice play in the park whilst Sharon and I rested wearily on a bench.

Then, like a well planned expedition, we donned rucksacks, called the children to order and fixed our sites on crumpled maps for the next landmark.  I didn’t know it was there until I spotted it on the map, it seemed like a very strange twist of fate but also so appropriate on this journey to come across … “Churchill Park!”  This became our next destination.

Across the other side of the park and out onto the breakwater we could see several people milling around what was obviously the Little Mermaid.  We queued politely as Brits do, for our turn, then not so politely as every other folk just pushed in!  After the obligatory photos we trudged into town and hit the nearest eatery that the girls could stagger to.  Then we jumped onto the metro and back to our hotel for a well earned rest.

Thursday 21st April - Family day

Really excited this morning, my family coming out to see me, really missed my little girls.  No breakfast included with this hotel (first time for 9 days that I had not had ham and cheese sandwiches for breakfast)so I went straight to the airport via shuttle bus.

Had first Starbucks, small (= massive) coffee since I’ve been away, lovely.  Got to the arrivals lane early and secured my spot by the entrance doors.  After half hour I spotted them and they spotted me, much joyous hugs, and another Starbucks.

We got to hotel, unpacked and headed into Copenhagen on the “Metro”.  Had a quick wander round town but the girls were so tired we headed back to the hotel.  My wife, Sharon crashed out, she had been up since 11.30pm the previous night so the girls and I went for a swim at the local pool.  A bit chilly but it was so nice to spend some time with them after being apart for 10 days, this is the longest by far, normally it’s a very infrequent 2 days with work.

Well, everybody tired so we had an early night, tomorrow we plan to have a proper look around the city centre.

Wednesday 20th April - Scandinavian Silver Eel

Early start for Hakan and I , on the road at 8am heading down to Helsingborg, another 180km.  Got to Helsingborg fine but struggled to find the Eel farm on a huge industrial complex, it had been a few years since Hakan had been there.

After some frantic mobile phone instructions we got there, a more unlikely place for a fish farm you would never see, next to a huge sulphuric acid manufacturing company.

We were welcomed by the Director, Dr Curt Gelin and senior Aquaculturist, Richard Fordham into their spotless offices.  We were treated to a light snack of smoked eel on a sort of Rye bread, a light beer and some much welcomed coffee.  After general introductions we were given a power point presentation by Curt and Richard about their business.  After about and hour we were on slide 3, such was the volume of questions!!!!!!  Curt promptly decided we needed to go to lunch.

Once again we were treated very kindly and had lunch paid for in the local industrial estate cafeteria.  I was quite surprised how tight security was, we had to check in and out with our cards through turn-styles.  After lunch we continued on with the presentation, fascinating stuff, loads of discussion about stocking.

Then it was time for the tour!!!  Curt showed us his on growing tanks, we weren’t allowed to see the weaning as this was under strict quarantine.  Even the lads working on the weaning were not allowed to work on the on-growing side until the all-clear was given after 10 weeks.

The eels were amazing, 80,000 in a 2m tank.  I was able to clearly see the design and function of the tank, Curt was very generous and honest to let me see every detail and take pictures.

The large oval on growing tanks were amazing, with eels of different sizes up to 100g.  What an awesome sight when the feeders went off, the eels were literally “snaking” out of the water to try and reach the food.

After seeing the rest of the rearing unit, the grading devices and filter systems, it was time for us to go.  These people were so kind to give up most of their day to show us around and talk to us so open and honestly.  I will have to write and thank them personally.

So, on the road again, have to drop Hakan off at Lund to get the train back to Stockholm, it has been great to meet him and he has been so kind, then on to Malmo airport to drop off the car.  All was done about two hours later so then it was a case of getting a bus and train across to Copenhagen  to stay at my pit-stop hotel before meeting up with my wife and family who were coming over to join me for a few days in Copenhagen, cant wait, have missed them so much.

Got to the hotel with a shuttle bus at about 8pm, settled in and began to write up notes and continue blog.  Had enough by 9.30 so headed out for a beer.  The only place open was a rather dingy looking bar in full swing on a Karaoke night.  Well settled down in a corner to read my book, Tom Forts “Book on Eels” but the noise was somewhat distracting.

In the end I decided “if you can beat ‘em…..” so I signed up for a song.  After 15mins, Joe the bar man gave me the thumbs up and so I proceeded to belt out a very passable version of  Franky Valli’s “Can’t take my eyes off of you”.  I’d like to think I exited to rapturous applause, high fives and many a back slap but in truth I think I slunk away pretty much anonymously.  Ah well, there goes another career that might have been!!!

Well tomorrow my family arrive can’t wait, then a couple of days sightseeing in Copenhagen.

Tuesday 19th April 2011 - salmon farm

Woke up about 8 am and wandered over to the marvellous restaurant on the banks of the river Dalävan for breakfast.  It is a wonderful big hall with seating for about 100 people, I was the only one there.  So I had a really nice breakfast, scrambled eggs and bacon.  On the way out I noticed a salmon set in a case at the top of the stairs, it was huge so I went to take a picture.  I asked the lady at reception, she said it was the local river record, something over 36kg !!!!!

As promised, at 9.30, Erik Petersson of the Swedish Board of Fisheries turned up to take me to Alvkarleby  Salmon Farm.  “We’ll take my car Erik”, “No need” said Erik, “We can walk”.  So fifty yards down the road was the salmon farm, to one side of the great hydropower turbines built in 1915.  The tanks were quite compact in some of the original old buildings but the layout was neat.  This site produces about 200,000 salmon and a similar number of sea trout to compensate for the loss of spawning and nursery area above the dam.

As well as the main fish rearing tanks I saw some pretty awesome facilities including an experimental spawning stream with glass sides, a fantastic visitor centre with aquariums made up to look like streams and an artificial stream for stocking experiments.  Now that is progressive thinking and what I have wanted for a long time at my hatchery.

The trapping and sorting facilities were well thought out with the minimum of handling for salmon.

I was very impressed with the way they combined the production side of the salmon farm with research and a very good visitor centre which had something like 20,000 visitors per year.

After a hearty lunch, generously paid for by Peter, I said my good-byes and made my way back down south to Stockholm, some 180 km.  I had arranged to meet Hakan Wickstrom again, just to the south of the city so that we could travel down together to get part of the way down to Helsingborg for our visit to Scandinavian Silver Eel, the only Swedish Eel Farm.

Picked up Hakan no problem and we then drove about 3 hrs south to our overnight stop at a Eurohotel, in a place called Jonkoping.  After a fine burger and a  beer we were both shattered so headed for our rooms and some rest ready for and early start.

Monday 18th April - Swedish Fisheries Board

In at 7 am for breakfast, packed away and checked out by 8am, not sad to leave my windowless room I have to say.  I decided to save the £20 taxi fair and walk the 3 miles into to town to collect my hire car.  After about 500m of struggling with my heavy and clumsy holdall, I began to realise this was a bit ambitious.  I reached the bridge before Old Town dripping with sweat even though it was only 8.30am in the morning.  Reached Hertz office after about an hour and waited outside for 10 minutes to cool down.

Got the car sorted no problem, a neat little Fiesta diesel.  A few minutes later and was heading out of Stockholm to one of the nearby "Islands", Drottingholm. After 25 minutes I approached my destination, The Swedish Fisheries Board, Freshwater Research Station, Drottingholm

I parked up and went to the front door, tried the handle and then realised there was an extensive key pad with some sort of instruction in Swedish.....OK I can work this out...or so I thought!  I interpreted the instructions and furiously keyed the pad, sounded a bit like the Rolf Harris Stylophone, if you remember that you are showing your age!!!......NOTHING, I tried several combinations.  In frustration I knocked out several more 'Big Band Dixie tunes' until I was aware of a shadowy figure to my right walking out from another building exit......."Yon Taylor?" It was Hakan Wickstrom, a world renowned eel expert.

"Hello Hakan, it's me John....your doors not working by the way!"

Well I was treated extremely well, coffee and cake sitting out in the sun.  Then Hakan introduced me to a chap call Willem Dekker, whom he described as "Mr Eel", although he did not mention a year!

So Willem, Hakan and I chewed the fat for and awhile about the status of eels, the role of stocking and even branched out into theories about imprinting and their breeding grounds in the Sargasso and who actually discovered the eel larvae.

Then I met some other folks in the Swedish Fisheries Board Institute of Freshwater Research.  One fellow was a geneticist and I discussed crayfish with him for 15 minutes before I cottoned on that he was actually a salmon geneticist......then we talked about salmon with a seamless transition!  I was later introduced to some crayfish folk who gave me some useful contacts for our breeding programme back at Cynrig.

Hakan kindly provided me with a beef stroganoff lunch, I was very impressed with the neatness of the facilities and the home comforts they had, such as a kitchen, restrooms and meeting rooms.

Finally Hakan gave me a tour of their experimental facilities.  He was hoping this would be fully utilised in the near future when they were re-organised to be more closely affiliated with the Universities.  They certainly had some impressive labs.

Well, after a thank you and a quick goodbye it was time to move on and drive north to Alvkarleby where I would stay for the night in readiness for a visit to one of the government Baltic salmon farms.

Pretty good instructions from Hakan took me out of Stockholm.  After a bit of traffic and half an hour later I was well on the way.  Once out of the city traffic and having adjusted to driving on the 'wrong side' of the road, it really was a pleasant drive, miles of beautiful forestry.  I must admit it reminded me of the American mid-west, big sprawling red-barn farms separated by many miles of wilderness.  The weather was perfect, a sunny, warm and clear day.

About 2 hrs into the journey, I spotted the exit to Alvkarleby, this was really bizarre.  Hakan told me to look out for the Chinese building, I wasn’t prepared for this.  In the middle of nowhere was this huge 10 storey Chinese pagoda type building surrounded by what looked like the Great Wall of China!  I had to stop and have a look.

Apparently, it had been earmarked as a hotel site but it had never gotten off the ground. Then some rich Chinese fella, who wanted to create a bit of China in countries around the world, built it as a hotel, restaurant and entertainment centre.  It certainly was amazing... if a little out of place.

A few minutes down the road and I arrived at Alvkarleby, a small, quiet town with a whacking great hydropower station on the River Dalävan.  The place was deserted but stunning.  I picked up my hotel room key from a post-box outside the Tourist Hotel Restaurant.  The room, just across the road, was very nice, quite large, clean, good Wi Fi and had several, big, windows ……bliss!!!

After unpacking I headed into a nearby town, Skutskär for a burger, very quiet town but pleasant.

Then, back to my room, a few e-mails and skype home to the family and off to bed for a descent nights sleep.  It’s been a good day.

The Weekend, 16th and 17th April 2011

Got a bit of a routine going now. Had ham and cheese sandwiches for breakfast for the 6th successive morning now. I think they call it a "Continental Breakfast!".
On the internet first thing before too many powerful wireless networks start showing and blocking the hotel's signal.
Typed a few e-mails and skyped home, nice to see my girls' faces, thank God for Skype. Couple of work e-mails to answer and did my monthly Chargecard statement on line for work. Finalised directions for Monday and then time to shut down and put on my walking shoes!

This time I ventured out in my shorts and t-shirt, what a gorgeous day. Getting the hang of it now, made my way to a small square with shops and cafes and straight down to 'Old Town' across from the main city centre. This is a very quaint sort of 'island' which must have been some of the original old roads and buildings.

　

In one of the old streets I came across this chap very skillfully playing partially filled (with water) wine glasses. He was playing 'Oh, how we danced, on the night we were wed'....made me think of my Ma and Pa, God Bless' em

As you come out of  'Old Town' you head over one of the many bridges crossing the mighty Norrstrom River
Over the bridge and directly infront is the very grand Swedish Parliament Buildings.

　


Straight down the middle and underneath these arches is the famous shopping street, Drottinggatan. This is where I'm heading, about a mile down the road is my favourite coffee shop. On the way down the street I couldn't resist calling in at my new favourite shop, ever since I discovered one in St David's Centre in Cardiff..... Clas Ohlson. It's sort of an Ikea for men, with useful stuff in it like tools!  It really is a blokes shop but they chuck in a few colourful table lamps and shiny picture frames to keep the girls happy.....only joking of course!!
Reached Sandy's Coffee shop after about an hour and a half. I know what to order now....."Hello, A LARGE COFFEE, please", or as we like to say in Sweden 'Hej' (hello) and 'Tack' (thank you)....I'm working on 'please' and 'coffee'. Settled down with my black flower pot (no handle) but lovely strong coffee to continue reading Tom Forts "Book of Eel

Really getting interesting now, I discovered that Johannes Schmidt (the Danish explorer and scientists credited with discovering the eel larvae or 'thin heads'), has his portratit hanging in the Zoological Museum of Copenhagen as well as some of his original collections. As I will be in Copenhagen at the end of next week I simply must get to see this stuff, it's a great opportunity, hope the museum can accommodate me.

Well, had a free re-fill (hope they didn't think I was too tight) and after a pleasant hours read I headed back to the hotel. At the bottom end of Drottinggatan I stopped amongst a crowd and watched a very creditable Michael Jackson tribute street dancer, very entertaining. I had to try extremely hard to resist the urge to moon-walk up to his collection pot and drop in a couple of Krona, I'm quite sure it would have ended up on Youtube and probably CNN, for all the wrong reasons.

Well back to my room for one more night, Skype home and get some grub.
Tomorrow I meet the esteemed Hakan Wickstrom of the Swedish Fisheries Board and then off we go on our road trip....can't wait.

4th day Friday 15th April 2011

Just got most of the way through this and power went off!!!!

Well spent most of the morning trying to get an internet connection, need to book a car, make some contacts print maps etc.....how on earth did people travel before mobile phones and the internet?  would Charles Darwin have done any better with an Ipad, or Christopher Columbus been able to find some cheaper digs in America if he had Google?

Admin stuff done by 3pm (had to change rooms to get a marginally better but workable internet connection) so decided to walk into Stockholm City centre, about a couple of miles.  Really striking place, beautiful city, but crikey its expensive, almost double UK..... sorry kids, only gifts will be hotel shampoo!!!

Walked for about 3 hrs and decided to treat myself to a coffee, asked for an Americano expecting something like a steaming bucket that you get at Starbucks or Costa.  Imagine my horror when I was presented with a "thimble", half full, without milk, for 3 quid!!!! It was nice mind you.

Anyway while trudging back I was delighted to receive a call from my workmate, Oli.  fantastic news, looks like we might get some funding to carry out the Eel stocking project I have been planning for two years!!!!! That's only a big part of the reason why I'm here!!!!  apparently Radnorshire Wildlife Trust are keen to stock Llangorse lake with eels ( I have a project to do just this) and we (the Environment Agency) may help fund this.  Great news.

Llangorse lake is the second biggest natural lake in Wales, it has a history of prolific eel production and had a commercial silver eel fishery for many years.  We ( the EA) actually own the  silver Eel trap (adults migrating back to the sea)on the Llynfi.  I have a project to reinstate the trap, stock the lake and begin monitoring the returns compared to historical levels, this is just what I hoped for, even if a little premature.

Note the old trap records on the Lynfi, in 1990, 2500Lbs of eels(that's between 3000-5000 eels!!!) were caught in just two nights in October, I'm willing to bet that it's nothing like that now, but with a well planned stocking project we can restore this lake to its former glory.

Happy days