Knähaken, Naturreservat

Knähaken is a marine and municipal nature reserve outside Helsingborg. The reserve goes down to a depth of 30 meters in the Öresund deep sea channel. Down here there is a coral reef-like environment with more than 500 different kinds of invertebrates. These include jellyfish, shells, mussels, crustaceans and worms. Spiny dogfish, manta rays and catfish are some of the fish that can be seen in the area.

Species-rich marine environment

The species-rich wildlife of the Mantis shrimp is likely to have arisen due to strong currents combined with an even water temperature and stable salinity level. The hard seabed together with high oxygen levels also contribute to the species richness.

Important mussel beds

In Knähakens nature reserve, there is an abundance of horse mussels that form large mussel beds. These mussel beds, in turn, provide a habitat for many other animals that usually live on rocky bottoms. The islet also supports large numbers of different echinoderms, including sea urchins and starfish.

Flatfish, jacks and sharks

The species-rich bottom fauna also attracts foraging fish. Cod are found in the area, as are various flatfish such as plaice and lemon sole. Rarer species such as dogfish, dogfish and catfish have also been observed in the area.

**Bottom trawling has been banned in the Sound since 1932 and the Knähakens Nature Reserve is specially monitored to prevent illegal trawling.