The Baltic sea research journey continues. This time through an encounter that quietly expanded the scope of the project. In Riga, I met Valdis Brauns , a master of black-and-white photography whose work has documented Latvian fishermen over decades. His photographs focus on coastal fishing communities during the second half of the 20th century, particularly in the 1960s and 1970s—a period when fishing was still a central economic and social structure along the Latvian coast.

A few years ago, I worked on a Baltic Sea mission within a public organisation. It gave me insight into how environmental efforts unfold within the EU — the policies, regulatory frameworks, and institutional systems behind large-scale change. It was valuable experience and continues to inform how I approach my work  — through a systemic lens. During this work, I began to notice a pattern. The Baltic Sea was often discussed in technical terms and data — nutrient loads, polluti