PROJECT HIGHLIGHT
This project aims to recover five acres of recently degraded bull kelp forest at Big River, Mendocino County, by deploying a strategic combination of kelp recovery solutions and providing community participation opportunities.
PROJECT SUMMARY
Over 96% of bull kelp canopy has been lost on California’s North Coast and the ecosystem is showing little signs of recovering on its own. As more marine heat waves are forecast for the future, it is raising concerns that even more kelp might be lost.
To date, kelp recovery projects have purposefully focused on testing individual techniques in isolation (one at a time or small scale). They have yet to combine best practices to demonstrate how an integrated, science-based and adaptive approach may accelerate and scale restoration. This project aims to restore five acres of recently degraded reef at Big River by using a strategic sequence of interdisciplinary recovery techniques.
Herbivore grazing will be suppressed via targeted removal of sea urchins by commercial urchin divers as well as urchin traps. In addition, drift kelp will be supplemented to shift urchin behavior and discourage urchins from grazing on any newly restored bull kelp. Kelp growth will also be stimulated with spore bags and outplanting lab-cultured juvenile kelp on novel modules that are practical, cost effective and efficient by design. The project will investigate how the urchin fishery can be adapted to support kelp restoration, including through better diver economic outcomes and new market uses for purple urchins.
Lastly, to increase the likelihood of sustained stewardship and kelp recovery success, this project will provide training and internships for local divers to build diver workforce capacity and engage previously underrepresented groups in monitoring and restoration.The team will engage with the local community through several t art/science products and events and communicate project goals and outcomes.
The project will bring together thinkers from twelve organizations in a coordinated, interdisciplinary effort to truly scale and accelerate kelp recovery.
Brent Hughes