(wind howling)
(bird caws)
(peaceful music)
Norther Norway,
one of the most dramatic coastal landscapes in the world.
Long, narrow inlets carry seawater
up to 200 kilometers inland.
These deep valleys were once scoured out by glaciers
and filled up by the sea.
Today they attract a rich diversity of life.
The Norwegian fjords are as deep as the mountains are high
and they teem with life.
(singing in foreign language)
The cold, dark waters are home
to a surprisingly rich and colorful community
of underwater creatures.
(singing in foreign language)
Some even produce their own lights
and glow in the dark.
The Norwegian fjords are one of Europe's best kept secrets.
A magical wilderness unlike any other.
(singing in foreign language)
It's mid-November,
the Norwegian winter has set in
and the sun barely skirts the horizon
during the long polar nights.
All is quiet at the bottom of the fjord,
the waters appear lifeless, the sediments undisturbed.
There is little sign of the invasion that is to come.
Large kelp forests guard the entrance of the fjord
and provide a safe hiding place for fish.
Further inland the fjords break up
into a network of smaller channels
that slow down the flow of the water.
And it's these calm seas that attract huge numbers of fish.
Herring, over 10 billion of them.
Their shells are so dense
they darken the waters of the fjord.
(suspenseful music)
The herring have been feeding
in the rich Arctic seas all summer.
Now, sleek and well fed, they gather in the sheltered waters
of the fjords to over winter here.
These fjords offer little food for the herring,
but the calm waters allow them to rest and wait,
wasting little energy.
In spring, they'll continue to their spawning grounds
along the coast.
The herring only come to a few select fjords
in northern Norway,
but in their wake others follow.
Orca's or killer whales.
They've left the open ocean to head inland,
attracted by the vast shoals of fish.
The herring bunch together
in a tight ball near the sea floor.
There's safety in numbers
and the dense mass confuses most predators.
But not the orca's.
They work as a team, youngsters learning from older ones.
The key to their success is co-operation.
Slowly the whales circle their quarry,
driving them into an even tighter bunch.
As they do, they communicate with clicks and whistles.
(whales whistling)
The whales take turns to dive below the shoal
and push it closer to the surface.
Finally they manage to drive the herring
into shallower water.
(suspenseful music)
The rest is easy.
(whale moans)
A large male approaches the shoal from the side
and smacks into the mass with his powerful tail fin.
With one blow he's killed and stunned a dozen fish.
Now they can pick off their prey at leisure.
Tail swatting appears to be a hunting strategy
only used by orca's in this part of the world,
but it's a highly effective way of gathering food.
For a six ton whale, a single fish is a mere morsel.
They need to eat around 200 a day,
so bulk fishing is the perfect solution.
With over a billion herring in this one fjord alone,
there's plenty to go around.
Compared to humans hunters
that take thousands of herrings from these waters each year,
the orca's hardly make a dent in the population.
But orca's are messy feeders.
They leave behind a trail of dead fish.
Both at the bottom of the fjord and in the water above.
But where there are free handouts, there are takers.
Herring gulls follow the whales
as they travel through the fjord
and pick off any scraps left in their wake.
Below the surface others help dispose of leftovers.
Nonetheless, much sinks to the bottom.
And even here there are animals that benefit
from the orca's feeding frenzy.
Hiding away on the sea floor
are creatures that depend on debris sinking down from above.
Starfish are one of the many bottom dwellers
that make a beeline for the feast.
Each arm contains a branch of their stomach
and produced chemicals to digest the carcass.
They will eat whatever comes their way
and eventually release the nutrients back into the fjord.
In northern Norway the low winter sun
washes the landscape in ethereal colors.
Temperatures often drop below freezing.
Sheltered by the mountains,
the waters of the fjord are calm
and ice starts to form at the edges.
Although seawater doesn't freeze easily,
a sheet of ice often stretches across
the entire fjord in winter.
This sheet is made of fresh water
that sits in a layer above the denser seawater.
The frozen fjord is many miles from the open ocean,
but the daily rhythm of the tides
can still be felt and seen.
(peaceful music)
Every six hours, the massive slab of ice,
weighing millions of tons, is lifted up and down.
The ice also acts as a gigantic lid,
keeping the waters below dark and warm.
It's these conditions
that allow some unusual animals to live here.
The helmet jellyfish,
generally found at depths of over a thousand meters.
Direct sunlight will kill it,
turning the dark red pigment in its body
into a lethal poison.
But the winter ice cover over the fjord
filters out most of the suns rays
and allows the jelly's to rise up to shallower water.
So helmet jellyfish thrive here.
Sea pen's live in the deepest part of the fjord,
where they anchor themselves to the sea floor.
Here there's less risk of being uprooted by ocean currents.
And the coral like creatures use their feathery arms
to sift plankton from the water.
Sea pen's like to stay in one place,
so if danger threatens they defend themselves.
If anything touches their delicate arms,
they produce a series of flashing lights,
maybe with the aim to startle in the darkness.
But the feathery pen's not only actively produce light,
they also glow when blue light falls on them.
Most light waves are absorbed as they pass through water,
but blue light travels further than any other.
When it falls on sea pen's it stimulates certain proteins
and triggers them to glow bright green.
(peaceful music)
But why sea pen's glow like this is still a mystery.
(suspenseful music)
And if all defense techniques fail,
the curious creatures have another trick up their sleeve.
They literally disappear into the ground.
Above the surface the fjord is now not only sealed by ice,
but a thick layer of snow.
The forests are silent in the grip of winter.
Only one sound echoes through the hills.
(capercaillie clicking)
The capercaillie have started their mating rituals.
The males seek out the best arenas on which to display.
(capercaillie clicking)
Their song and dance is for the benefit of females
scattered throughout the hills.
(capercaillie clicking)
These northerly forests are wetter than most
and provide perfect conditions for lichens and mosses.
The cover the trees in thick, shaggy carpets.
(peaceful music)
And they're home to strange, long legged creature.
The spiny headed harvestman.
It hunts for small insects amongst the lichen.
(suspenseful music)
The arrival of spring brings warmer temperatures
and fresh growth to the hills around the fjord.
The ice has long melted
and below the surface spring has also not gone unnoticed.
Along the shallow edges thick layers of sand and sediment
create an underwater moonscape.
Brown crabs are after the mussels buried in the soft sand.
The common dab will also feed on mussels given the chance,
but it's unable to dig them up.
The mussels have burrowed deep into the sediment,
but the crabs are persistent.
The pilgrim scallop has no need to hide.
With 60 eyes along the edge of its mantel to keep a look out
it can make a quick getaway.
(suspenseful music)
For those that are not fast enough,
the crabs are bad news.
(suspenseful music)
They can prise open the tightly shut shells
and pull out the scallops soft body with their pincers.
Tearing apart the flesh releases chemicals into the water
that soon attract the competition.
The dab also sees an opportunity.
(water splashing)
The fish has little to fear from the crab,
despite the fearsome looking claws
crabs are slow and clumsy
and have no interest in trying to catch a fish.
Nonetheless she keeps a respectful distance,
slipping in to sneak a mouthful
when she thinks he's not looking.
The crab has had enough
and takes off with the remaining bounty.
One last look, but he's taken it all.
The Norwegian fjords resemble large inland lakes
and thanks to the warming Gulf Stream
they enjoy a mild climate.
Not surprisingly they attract animals
both below the surface and above.
Common eider's seek out the sheltered edges
to feed on crabs and mussels
and to raise their young.
But while the water may be safe.
There's danger from the air above.
Herring gulls are on the lookout for an easy meal.
They've got their eye on the young ducklings.
(suspenseful music)
But the attentive females join forces
and launch a counter attack.
(water splashing)
(suspenseful music)
(singing in foreign language)
This smaller common gull
has bitten off more than it can chew.
(suspenseful music)
(water splashing)
(birds cawing)
(singing in foreign language)
(water splashes)
(singing in foreign language)
The gull is lucky to escape with its life.
Spring sees the arrival of other visitors to the fjord.
The ruff has traveled all the way from Africa
and now refuels on small crabs and insects
along the shoreline.
A turnstone is also after insects,
flicking over seaweed instead of stones.
The temminck's stint has other priorities,
to attract a mate with it's aerial display.
Whilst some of the fjords visitors
arrive at the same time every year,
others are less predictable.
Harbor porpoises come and go,
hunting for small fish in the coastal inlets.
(water splashing)
(birds tweeting)
At the end of May,
huge flocks of knot descend upon the fjord.
They're traveling from wintering ground in Western Europe.
To their arctic breeding sites in Greenland and Canada.
They've come to the fjord to replenish energy reserves
before continuing on their long journey.
And they're here in their thousands.
(peaceful music)
The small birds have flown non stop for three days,
covering thousands of kilometers.
As soon as their feet touch the ground
they fall asleep, exhausted.
The knot will only stay for a week in the fjords,
feeding on small snails and mussels
in the exposed mud at low tide.
When the sea returns, the snails and other marine creatures
can safely emerge to graze on algae and plankton.
(peaceful music)
The daily influx of seawater
is crucial for sustaining life in the fjord.
But where there is life there's also death.
A harbor porpoise is washed ashore by the incoming tide.
It most likely drowned,
entangled and trapped in a fishing net.
Every year fishing nets kill up to 10,000 porpoises
in Norway alone.
Pulled in as accidental bi-catch on fishing boats.
It's a tragic and unnecessary loss.
(melancholy music)
The porpoise lies stranded on the shore,
the marks from the nets clearly visible on its body.
12 hours later, as the tide returns,
the carcass is carried away into deeper water.
The porpoise settles at the bottom of the fjord
and it doesn't take long for scavengers
to arrive at the scene.
Eel like hagfish.
They quickly detect the smell of rotting flesh
and arrive in their dozens.
They will bore into the carcass
and consume it from inside and out.
Releasing the nutrients back into the food chain.
The hagfish are one of the fjord natural recyclers.
(suspenseful music)
There is one other vital source of nutrients
that sustains life in the fjord.
Spectacular waterfalls are one of the most iconic features
of this landscape.
Hundreds of them cascade down the steep, rocky cliffs
carrying with them not just fresh water,
but sediments and food particles.
These dramatic waterfalls are life giving arteries
that provide a continuous supply of nutrients
to the fjords below.
(peaceful music)
(wind howling)
The Norwegian fjords are warmed by the mild ocean currents
of the Gulf Stream that makes the five to 10 degrees warmer
than you might expect.
(suspenseful music)
And many of them are very deep.
Some over a thousand meters.
These huge bodies of warm water act as vast storage heaters
that warm the surrounding landscape
and create an exceptionally mild climate.
(bees buzzing)
Surrounded by high mountains and arctic tundra,
the fjord is an oasis for both people and wildlife.
In the far north the vegetation is sparser.
Few trees grow here.
(bluethroat tweeting)
The male bluethroat sings his eloquent song
from the top of a mound or bush.
Other tundra residents have chosen a spit of land
as a display arena.
Male ruff, with their spectacular plumes,
are waiting for an audience.
The first spectator has arrived.
(suspenseful music)
And now the performance can begin.
Each male wants to outshine the others
and impress the ladies.
Their dance has a complex choreography.
A dark and a light colored male will often tango together
in the hope of dazzling the females.
This time the male with the white ruff
seems to have won the dance off.
Three females are waiting for his attention.
And a last minute competitor is quickly seen off.
(wind howling)
Norway's western coast and fjords
receive a huge amount of rainfall.
The sudden influx of freshwater
is a problem for many marine animals.
(peaceful music)
Some, like the cone jelly's try to make a getaway.
They propel through the water
with tiny hairs that beat in synchrony
and scatter the light to produce iridescent colors.
Green sea urchins graze on algae in the rocky shallows.
They can't swim to escape the freshwater
but race on tiny tube feet.
The heavy rain also washes away salt,
deposited in the surrounding forests by the wind.
It flows off the hills as small streams
and is carried back into the fjord.
Where the freshwater streams flow into the fjord
animals have to cope with great fluctuations in salinity.
These sudden changes can be deadly for starfish,
they quickly move to deeper water
where conditions are more stable.
But some animals cope equally well
in both freshwater and salt water.
Salmon and sea trout.
Every year the fish make their way back from the ocean
and follow the rivers upstream.
On the final leg of their journey,
they have to ascend waterfalls several meters high.
This requires a huge amount of energy.
The fish congregate at the foot of the falls,
ready to propel themselves out of the water.
(suspenseful music)
Not every attempt is successful.
There is no choice but to try again.
Those who make it beyond the rapids
are rewarded by clear and calmer water.
These are the traditional spawning grounds
where the fish rest and recover from their arduous journey.
Then each female chooses a spot to lay her eggs.
The males are close behind, ready to deposit their sperm.
Mission accomplished.
(singing in foreign language)
The fish eggs are left unattended
on the riverbed and take around six weeks to develop.
The small fry are only two centimeters long
and have a large yolk sack attached to their belly.
This will provide them with food for the next few weeks,
while they remain hidden among the gravel.
It's hard to believe that these small upland streams
are the nursery grounds for millions of tiny fish.
After a few weeks, the fry resemble miniature salmon
and have used up their onboard food supply.
They now have to hunt for tiny insect prey.
The young salmon remain in these streams
for up to five years,
but eventually they have to return to the ocean.
And to do so they must adapt their bodies.
It's one of the most extreme physiological challenges
that any animal has to face
as they enter the deep, dark and salty water of the fjord.
(suspenseful music)
One group of animals that is perfectly adapted
to life in the deep are the sea slugs.
Some even glow in the dark, bejeweling the sea floor
with their striking shapes and colors.
The reason for their eye catching fluorescence
is still a mystery.
But having lost their shells millions of years ago
sea slugs may defend themselves
with these brilliant lights and colors.
While some use dazzling displays of light
others opt for camouflage to avoid detection.
(suspenseful music)
The long legged spider crab is a master of disguise
and moves slowly across the sea floor
searching for edible morsels.
It's found some fish scales that shine in fluorescent blue.
A second spider crab has picked up the scent
and heads towards its rival.
With ritualized displays the two opponents face each other.
Locking their spidery legs together.
(suspenseful music)
From the bottom the fjord the sides rise up steeply,
both below water and above.
The forested slopes are covered in a thick carpet of moss
and in autumn they erupt with the fruiting bodies of fungi.
(suspenseful music)
The fungi are short lived
and like much of the woodland vegetation
will ultimately be carried down the steep slopes
and into the fjord.
(singing in foreign language)
(suspenseful music)
The last autumn leaves fall from the trees
and are also swallowed by the waters.
Small marine crustaceans are at hand
to exploit this seasonal supply of food.
Amongst this myriad of microscopic life
are transparent forms with a tiny yellow star
attached to the end.
(peaceful music)
These are starfish larvae
and they spend the first weeks of their life
traveling the open seas.
Undulating gently through the water
the larvae feed on tiny plankton.
Eventually they sink to the ground
and the perfectly formed miniature star
detached itself from the main body.
With tiny tubular feet, the small starfish now searches
for a place to settle and grow into a larger star.
(peaceful music)
Vast quantities of organic matter
end up at the bottom of the fjord
and play a crucial role in maintaining
this rich underwater life.
In shallower regions sea anemones filter tiny particles
from the water.
40 meters down and coral like sea fans
cling to the steep sides.
They are colonies of tiny animals
that feed off the rich supply of nutrients
brought in by the daily tide.
(peaceful music)
Deeper still, at depths of 200 meters or more,
the sea floor turns into a kaleidoscope of colors.
Vast wreaths of cold water corals
now stretch for kilometers along the bottom of the fjord.
It's pitch black at these depths
so their colors are only visible when light falls on them.
Deep sea fish, like the curiously named rabbit fish,
have big eyes to capture what little light there is.
It moves slowly along the sea floor,
searching for small bottom living invertebrates.
(suspenseful music)
By late autumn dead fish litter the sea floor once more.
In the waters above, the migrating herring
have started to arrive.
Once again, nothing goes to waste.
A lunson shark is attracted by the smell of dead fish.
It's one of the smallest sharks in the world,
little bigger than a herring itself.
(whale moaning)
Autumn also sees the arrival of more unusual visitors.
Humpback whales.
They followed the herring on their migration
from the arctic ocean to the Norwegian fjords.
But the humpback's don't hunt alone here.
They rely on help from another whale.
(whales moaning)
Orca's.
Hundreds of them converge on the fjord,
drawn in by the billions of herring.
Their calls guide the humpback's to the banquet.
(peaceful music)
(whales whistling)
During the winter months the Norwegian fjords
are amongst the richest waters in the world.
They harbor millions of tons of fish
and not surprisingly attract hunters from near and far
who cash in on the colossal feast.
(suspenseful music)
(bird tweeting)
(water splashing)
The humpbacks have even changed their annual migration
to take advantage of this fish bonanza.
They can swallow hundreds of herring in one big mouthful.
(peaceful music)
As the days get longer both orca's and humpbacks
leave the fjord
and follow the herring out into the open ocean.
Whether they will return again next year, no one knows.
The herring often change their migration routes
and the hunters will follow them.
Nonetheless the Norwegian fjords
will continue to provide a safe haven
for a remarkable and rich community of life.
(peaceful music)
(singing in foreign language)