The Race to Restore Kelp

Click  HERE  for the current version of The Race to Restore Kelp

While people have long appreciated the important environmental and economic role that kelp plays in California, there has been growing interest in restoring kelp in areas of regional decline. Though natural oscillations in oceanic conditions can be expected, and marine ecosystems are well adapted to handle varying conditions, several compounding events stemming from warm water caused concern as Giant kelp (Macrocystis pyrifera) and Bull kelp (Nereocystis luetkeana) coverage declined. As a result, government agencies, scientists, non-profits, fishermen, and ocean users have developed restoration projects to test the underlying mechanisms and overall feasibility of varying restoration techniques. These projects are intended to inform future restoration projects. Despite similar end goals, some groups have implemented different restoration strategies that fall under the following three categories: kelp enhancement, grazer suppression, and artificial reefs. This interactive StoryMap highlights a few of the many programs underway in California.

Scroll through this interactive resource to hear directly from the stakeholders involved in kelp restoration projects in California.

Filbee-Dexter, K. & Scheibling, R. 2014. Sea urchin barrens as alternative stable states of collapsed kelp ecosystems. Marine Ecology Progress Series 495:1–25.

Ford T, Meux B. 2010. Giant kelp community restoration in Santa Monica Bay. Urban Coast 2:43−46

Leighton, D.L., Jones, L.G. & North, W. (1966) Ecological relationships between giant kelp and sea urchins in southernCalifornia. In: Proceedings 5th International Seaweed SymposiumOxford, England , ed. E.G. Young & J.L. McLachlan, pp.141–153. Oxford, UK: Pergamon Press.

•  Kelp Forest Alliance 
•  KelpWatch 
•  https://marinespecies.wildlife.ca.gov/kelp/the-fishery/  (add these sources from here)