Marine archaeologist Christopher F. Kvæstad documents the stone belt in Grindasundet. Credit: Elling Utvik Wammer / IRMAS
Archaeologists surveying the Norway coast have found an underwater structure in Telavåg that may date back at least 1,000 years, a discovery researchers say could mark the first physical underwater remains tied to a whale-trapping tradition described in medieval law.
The find was made in Grindasundet, in Øygarden outside Bergen, where divers and sonar surveys revealed a broad belt of stone more than 25 meters (82 feet) long on the seabed.
Historical sources from the 1500s say a barrier once stood there to block whales inside the bay. Marine archaeologist Elling Utvik Wammer of the Norwegian Maritime Museum said the site appears to match that location and could show where the structure stood in the Middle Ages.
Underwater structure discovery off Norway coast
The project focuses on coastal trapping sites, a type of heritage Wammer said has been poorly documented. These places include structures in the water and on land linked to the capture of whales and schooling fish. He said Øygarden has the highest number of such sites, with Skogsvågen on Sotra the best known.
In Skogsvågen, records and photographs show a form of whale hunting that lasted into the 1900s. Minke whales were trapped in the bay and shot with crossbows and arrows treated with bacteria from rotten meat. Telavåg was another place where minke whales were hunted.
Stone structures that were discovered underwater. Credit: Elling Utvik Wammer / IRMAS
Wammer said written sources show whales were driven into bays, trapped, killed and used for meat and bone. The Gulathing Law, which applied in western Norway in the 900s, also refers to driving whales into coves.
Researchers hope the work will uncover evidence beyond written records. In Telavåg, the bay has two entrances separated by a small islet. Historical accounts say one side had a permanent barrier made of timber and rope weighted with stone, while the other was closed with a whale net.
Historical hunting method and written records
Sonar mapping first showed mostly sand, then a large stone area at the southern end of the channel. Divers later confirmed a wide stone belt across the bottom and a separate round mound of stone about 15 meters (49 feet) across and 4 meters (13 feet) high. Wammer said both were clearly built by people.
Researchers believe the mound likely matches an abandoned 1700s attempt to fill in the channel with stone instead of maintaining the barrier. Wammer said the underwater structure and the Norway coast site may now identify both the failed fill-in effort and the likely medieval position of the barrier.
The team also used GoPro cameras and photogrammetry to build a 3D model of the site. In June, researchers plan to return to Øygarden to study other trapping locations, including places where nets and underwater stone walls were used to catch large amounts of fish.