Kelp bed at Point Whitehorn. Photo credit: Dana Daniels
Bull kelp (Nereocystis luekteana) is the largest species of brown algae native to our region. This fast growing seaweed can grow up to 100 feet in a single year and is an important component of the rocky intertidal ecosystem of the Salish Sea. Bull kelp sequesters carbon, oxygenates the marine environment, protects against storm surge and shoreline erosion, and provides critical nutrients and habitat for a number of species in the Salish Sea. Animals critical to the food web, including herring and salmon, use bull kelp forests for protection and food during certain life stages.
Working in partnership with the Northwest Straits Commission, the Whatcom MRC conducts annual kayak-based surveys of selected bull kelp beds during low-tide events between July-September. Using handheld GPS units and kayaks, volunteers map the perimeter of the beds and collect additional data including water temperature and bed depth estimates to provide valuable information on the status of bull kelp along the Whatcom County shoreline.
The kelp data collected from these surveys are included in the Northwest Straits Initiative Floating Kelp Monitoring StoryMap, SoundIQ, and the Washington State Floating Kelp Indicator. This data contributes to a multi-year record of kelp distribution and trends to better inform decision making and resource management in the Northwest Straits region.
As part of her Marine Conservation capstone project at Western Washington University, Lee Dexter chose to complete a visual project on kelp conservation. Lee completed a painting of common species found in the bull kelp ecosystem in the Salish Sea. The goal was to develop a publicly available display of the importance of bull kelp in the Salish Sea and to show connections with the bull kelp forest ecosystem.
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