Help Kelp
Article By: Dom Maderal 1/3/2024
Cover By: @artederamirez
Kelp is a subgroup of 27 kinds of fast growing brown seaweed that live in cold waters. According to Sea Grant California, seaweed provides about 70% of Oxygen on Earth. It is estimated that seaweed forests cover an area the same size as the Amazon rainforest! The Channel Islands Marine Sanctuary protects 1/3 of Southern California kelp forests and provides habitat to 1000 kinds of marine plants and animals. You can learn more on the Channel Islands National Park website.
Kelp needs our help! A report from 2019 showed that 95% of kelp forests in Northern California have declined due to rising ocean temperatures and animal impact. This decline is consistent with findings from The Nature Conservancy who reported that 96% of kelp forests in this region have disappeared since 2011.
Sea urchins have the potential to create “urchin barrens” which are areas in kelp forests that have been completely wiped out by urchin overgrazing. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife service have been working to restore sea otter populations and note that sea urchins can consume kelp at a rate of 30 feet per month. This is detrimental to the populations of red abalone who also rely on kelp as a main food source.
Protecting kelp forests is a key part of conserving marine biodiversity and reducing the impacts of climate change. You learn more about the impact from the Shinnecock Kelp Farmers who have been helping conserve seaweed for 10,000+ years.
Planting native gardens can help reduce the runoff of pesticides and fertilizer into the oceans, Surfrider has an ocean friendly garden program with resources for folks looking to start. We encourage you to share this article or any resources linked with folks and start the conversation about kelp. Ocean conservation takes all of us and the more people who know about the problem the more potential solutions there are. One tangible thing you can do is eat purple sea urchin, it is often overlooked for other urchins but this is key to protecting kelp species.
Land Back is another solution to the impending kelp crisis. Red abalone is a traditional food for the Chumash people and other Native coastal communities and their shells are used in jewelry and regalia. In order to restore biodiversity, break patterns of violence, and honor historic treaties, natural areas should be returned to their original Indigenous land stewards. Land Back can look different depending on region but one exciting example from 2024 is the official designation of the Chumash Heritage National Marine Sanctuary. This is the first tribally nominated sanctuary and will protect the biodiversity and cultural heritage of 156 miles of California coast line.
Kelp and other seaweeds are essential in the fight against climate change. There are ways for you to get involved in conservation whether you volunteer at a beach clean up, educate your friends about the importance of kelp, or work with local Indigenous leaders towards rematriation. Wherever you are, your skill sets can be used to help educate and inspire people looking to get involved. All of the sources from this article are linked below.
Support Kelp Conservation:
Chumash Heritage National Marine Sanctuary
Sources:
Kramp, Heather. “Heather Kramp: Seaweed Is about to Blow Your Climate Change Mind.” California Sea Grant, 29 Aug. 2019, caseagrant.ucsd.edu/news/heather-kramp-seaweed-about-blow-your-climate-change-mind.
Duarte, C. M., Gattuso J.-P., Hancke K., Gundersen H., Filbee-Dexter K., Pedersen M. F., Middelburg J. J., Burrows M. T., Krumhansl K. A., Wernberg T., Moore P., Pessarrodona A., Ørberg S. B., Pinto I. S., Assis J., Queirós A. M., Smale D. A., Bekkby T., Serrão E. A., & Krause-Jensen D. (2022). Global estimates of the extent and production of macroalgal forests. Global Ecology and Biogeography, 31, 1422–1439. https://doi.org/10.1111/geb.13515
“Kelp Forests.” National Parks Service, U.S. Department of the Interior, 10 June 2019, www.nps.gov/chis/learn/nature/kelp-forests.htm.
Rogers-Bennett, L., Catton, C.A. Marine heat wave and multiple stressors tip bull kelp forest to sea urchin barrens. Sci Rep 9, 15050 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-019-51114-y
Zuckerman, Catherine. “The Vanishing Kelp Forest.” The Nature Conservancy, 6 May 2023, www.nature.org/en-us/magazine/magazine-articles/kelp-forest/.
Fitzgerald, Katherine, and Leah Schrodt. “Recovering Sea Otters in a Changing Climate.” US Fish and Wildlife Service. https://trainingcenter.fws.gov/conservationconnect/documents/climate/USFWS-Sea-Otters-and-Climate-Change-Curriculum.pdf
Robertson, Benek, and Name. “Hitting Rock Bottom: The Disappearance of California’s Underwater Forests.” & the West, 3 Sept. 2021, andthewest.stanford.edu/2021/hitting-rock-bottom-the-disappearance-of-californias-underwater-forests/.
Krol, Debra Utacia. “A Shrinking Supply of Abalone Shells Affects Coastal Tribes.” High Country News, 24 Jan. 2024, www.hcn.org/issues/50-4/tribal-affairs-a-shrinking-supply-of-abalone-shells-impacts-coastal-tribes/.
Earth on Fire 