Technical reports and guidance on cold-water corals in Skarnsundet and Tauterryggen

Field-based technical reports, frameworks and guidelines on cold-water corals and diving in the Trondheimsfjord – openly available for management authorities, scientists and divers.

Field-based knowledgeOpenly availableDeveloped in Skarnsundet

For divers

Practical guidelines for responsible diving near cold-water corals – including the pre-dive briefing.

For scientists

Technical compilations with observations, interpretations and assessments from five seasons of fieldwork.

For management and media

Documented knowledge bases prepared for the County Governor of Trøndelag and cooperating bodies.

How the publications fit together

The four documents form four layers. Which one to read depends on what you need.

The framework (BD-PUB-2026-002) defines the classification: damage mechanisms, severity, evidence level and reversibility. This is the method.
The main report (BD-PUB-2026-001) applies the framework to Skarnsundet and Tauterryggen and is the documentary basis – with field observations, zonation and photographic documentation.
The decision note (BD-PUB-2026-004) is the decision-oriented short version of the main report, with every statement traceable to a chapter in it. Start here if you need the overview quickly.
The diving code of conduct (BD-PUB-2026-003) is the practical guideline for divers operating near corals.

Main publication Technical report (technical compilation)

Cold-water corals in Skarnsundet and Tauterryggen

Occurrences, fisheries-related impact and management zonation. Technical compilation 2020–2025.

The document has been prepared as a technical basis for decision-making for the County Governor of Trøndelag, not as a complete survey of all coral occurrences in the area. Bare Dykk AS provides observations, technical assessments and recommendations; the recommendations are formulated as technical assessments and proposals. The management decision rests with the County Governor, in cooperation with the Directorate of Fisheries and the Institute of Marine Research.

Published: July 2026 · Rev. 1.5 · 126 pages · BD-PUB-2026-001

Decision note

Decision note – Cold-water corals in Skarnsundet and Tauterryggen

Knowledge- and guidance-based measures (Category A) – technical decision-making basis for the County Governor of Trøndelag

Prepared by Bare Dykk AS as an external technical supplier to the County Governor of Trøndelag. The note is a decision-oriented short version of the main report "Cold-water corals in Skarnsundet and Tauterryggen – compilation" (rev. 1.5): the main report is the documentary basis, this note is the decision layer, and every statement is traceable to a chapter in the main report. It is technical decision support and not a decision – the assessment of statutory requirements, prioritisation and any decisions rest with the County Governor and the other sectoral authorities.

Published: July 2026 · Rev. 1.2 · 18 pages · BD-PUB-2026-004

Technical framework

Types of damage in cold-water corals

Technical framework for assessing damage, stress and cumulative effects (Rev. 2.4)

Rev. 2.4, dated July 2026, prepared by Einar Morten Slapgård for Bare Dykk AS and structured in accordance with the APA 7 standard. The framework combines established scientific literature with operational field methodology and legal applicability, and has been updated with findings from the VDWS Transition project at the Institute of Marine Research (IMR) (Dunlop et al., 2026), issued as Rapport fra havforskningen 2026-14. It provides a structured basis for the competent authority's assessment of the management objectives in Sections 4 and 5 of the Nature Diversity Act and the principles in Sections 8–12, cf. Section 7. The core technical basis lies in Sections 4, 5 and 8–10, while Sections 11 and 12 are case-specific supplementary principles applied only where they are actually relevant to a specific measure. The framework does not make the final legal assessment, does not establish cause without documentation and does not determine cost liability under Section 11 of the Nature Diversity Act; the final assessment and reasons rest with the competent management authority. The title page documents the revision history from Rev. 2.0 to Rev. 2.4.

Published: July 2026 · Rev. 2.4 · 33 pages · BD-PUB-2026-002

Practical guide

Diving Code of Conduct – Protecting the corals

With requirements and recommendations for the pre-dive briefing

The Diving Code of Conduct is Bare Dykk AS's own guide for divers, dive leaders and course organisers who will be diving in or near coral areas, with the main emphasis on the content of the pre-dive briefing. The document is a practical guide and a recommendation from Bare Dykk – it is not a regulation, an administrative decision or publicly enacted rules, and it cites no legal basis and names no management authority; authorities are referred to only generically, as recipients of damage reports. The requirement wording in the text sets out Bare Dykk's own requirements for diving practice. The document itself states no target group; the target groups below are derived from the wording of the guide.

Published: March 2026 · 3 pages · BD-PUB-2026-003

Translation and editorial standards

English versions are prepared under the Bare Dykk translation standard BD-MM-TRANS v1.0 with a locked bilingual glossary. Read about our methodology: Translation and editorial standards