Underwater Flora and Fauna

Reversing these development requires better management of the oceans that look after the marine fauna and their habitats. PostEurop member states are now issuing stamps with this theme to support efforts in the field. 

Harbor seals are the most common seal species found along the Norwegian coast. They are now widespread throughout the Northern hemisphere. The harbor seal belongs to the family of earless seals. Harbor seals and the larger havert species are often known as coastal seals because they live in coastal areas. They gather on the islets and reefs when they need to breed, shed or just take a rest.

Kelp forests are regarded as particularly productive ecosystems, rich in multiple species – and no country in Europe has more kelp forests than Norway. Kelp forests are important because they provide living conditions for a myriad of other marine life. Large quantities of smaller algae, grow on the seabed beneath the kelp and on the kelp's stem.  Of the smaller algae, small crustaceans and mollusks thrive particularly well. The small fauna are attractive food for larger predators, and so fish and seabirds also flock to such areas to obtain food. Kelp forests also make good nursery areas for fish, and the rich supply of both small and large kelp means that marine mammals such as seals and otters also visit the areas in search of food. 

Since the turn of the century, the loss of sugar kelp has been noted in areas that used be abundant in sugar kelp forests. In Skagerrak, as much as 80 per cent of the sugar kelp forests have periodically disappeared. Loss of sugar kelp is due mainly to spells of hot temperatures, which cause physiological stress for the kelp.