Overview

The California Department of Fish and Wildlife, in partnership with the California Ocean Protection Council, is developing a statewide, ecosystem-based, adaptive Kelp Restoration and Management Plan (KRMP) for giant kelp, Macrocystis pyrifera, and bull kelp, Nereocystis luetkeana. The KRMP will include a cohesive kelp management strategy (PDF)(opens in new tab) which consists of three core components:

1. a harvest management framework and other Fishery Management Plan (FMP) elements required by the Marine Life Management Act (MLMA),

2. an innovative framework for ecosystem-based management (EBM) of kelp forests and

3. a Restoration Toolkit.

Fort Bragg, Calif. – An unprecedented partnership on California’s north coast has concluded with the removal of nearly 50,000 pounds of purple urchins and positive signs of kelp forest recovery. The exciting results from two Mendocino County restoration sites demonstrate that commercial urchin fishermen can be extremely effective at targeted urchin removals, and that removals can facilitate bull kelp recovery when oceanographic conditions are favorable. The promising outcomes from this two-year effort will inform resource managers’ efforts to protect and restore threatened kelp forests across the state.

A global home for kelp forests

Kelp forests cover a third of the world’s coastlines and support hundreds of millions of people, but they are disappearing.

The Kelp Forest Alliance is a collaborative home that brings together people and organisations to enhance, protect, and restore these incredible ecosystems.

Kelp forests are fundamental to California’s marine biodiversity and its ocean economy. Both giant kelp (Macrocystis pyrifera), a perennial alga that dominates in southern and central California, and bull kelp (Nereocystis luetkeana), an annual alga that dominates in northern California, are foundational species that provide a variety of ecological functions and ecosystem services. In general, California’s nearshore environment has supported healthy kelp forests for decades; satellite imagery dating back to 1984 shows significant interannual variability but astable overall trend in kelp canopy area across the state prior to the onset of a marine heatwave in 2014. The marine heatwave had variable effects on kelp in each of California’s major geographic regions: northern California (California/Oregon border to San Francisco Bay), central California (San Francisco Bay to Point Conception), and southern California (Point Conception to the California/Mexico border, including the Channel Islands). Bull kelp forests in northern California were devastated, experiencing greater than 95% loss in kelp canopy from 2014 to 2019 and limited recovery in 2020. Giant kelp forests in central California have exhibited patchy declines since 2014, but no discernible region-wide trend. The marine heatwave generally had no strong effects on giant kelp forests in southern California.

Kelp Restoration Guidebook
LESSONS LEARNED FROM KELP RESTORATION PROJECTS AROUND THE WORLD
The field of marine habitat restoration has developed rapidly over recent years and will likely accelerate with both the UN Decade of Restoration and UN Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development (2021–2030). These programs will support efforts to collectively manage and reverse declines in ocean health and generate increased investment in the conservation of marine ecosystems and the communities they support.

The Mysterious World of Bull Kelp

The bull kelp forest is a fascinating and complex place with lots of different organisms interacting with each other in different ways in different places. We hope you are curious about it!

Dive in by exploring by region or by your favorite character from the kelp forest community, or…start with Kelp As Kin.