PROJECT HIGHLIGHT
This project will conduct two studies to evaluate a novel approach to restoring kelp and to identify the best environmental and ecological conditions for kelp restoration.
PROJECT SUMMARY
Kelp forests support very high levels of biodiversity and form the foundation for many important services including commercial and recreational fisheries, mariculture, recreation/tourism and Indigenous uses. Yet, kelp forests in northern and central California are in crisis, with over 90% of the state’s northern kelp forests and additional large expanses of kelp along the central coast lost in recent years.
This project will conduct two studies. In the first, commercial and recreational divers will clear kelp grazers, such as red and purple urchins and the wavy turban snail, separately and in combination, along the perimeter of remnant kelp forests and investigate how this might help kelp forests recover and expand. This study will also evaluate how often such clearing efforts will need to be repeated and at what financial cost and diver effort. The second study will investigate the range of water temperatures, locations and methods are best suited to ensure restoration success — for example, if it is more effective to outplant new kelp or remove kelp grazers so existing kelp can proliferate.
The lessons learned from this project will help to protect remnant kelp forests and expand kelp forest footprints. This research will provide guidance for future restoration efforts regarding the timing (e.g., upwelling events), location (proximity to forests, reef type, and oceanographic conditions) and methods (urchin removal and/or kelp outplanting) that will promote a higher likelihood of success.
Brent Hughes