Researchers from the Institute of Aquatic Ecology of the University of Latvia have already set out on two diving expeditions this June to map the Baltic Sea reef. During this summer's marine research, scientists are surveying deeper layers and recording the organisms found there to determine the potential protected status of these areas.

Solvita Strāķe, a hydrobiologist and representative of the "Life Reef" project, explained that when surveying deep shoals in the Latvia-Lithuania border zone at a depth of approximately 30 metres, researchers can stay for only a few minutes, during which they must precisely collect a specific sample. It was found that the mussels in the samples are very healthy.

Baltic Sea mussel beds are threatened by an invasive species, the round goby, which consumes them on coastal reefs, although the impact on deep shoals was previously unclear. Researchers found that the impact of the gobies is noticeable closer to the shore, but further out towards the middle of the sea, the mussel beds are healthy.