Bull kelp mapping and replanting on Gabriola Island: The role of citizen-science
Presentation Abstract
On Gabriola Island, British Columbia, a group of community volunteers have focused their efforts to map and replant Bull Kelp. Help The Kelp has tried three approaches for replanting with varying degrees of success. In the winter of 2009 the group coordinated with the Nile Creek Enhancement Society in Bowser to try an untested protocol. Pre-drilled rocks were dropped overboard in a defined area and short pieces of rope were looped through holes with line that was inoculated with immature Bull Kelp growing on it. There was a small but not measurable increase in Bull Kelp in following years, but this approach failed to produce dramatic or verifiable results. In January of 2011 a more traditional approach often used by commercial kelp farmers was adopted. Two 30m long lines were placed near the bottom of the ocean and secured onto rocks with floats spread across their length to keep them off the bottom. Inoculated line was then wrapped around these ropes. Unfortunately this experiment did not work, and several other varieties of kelp common to the area colonized the rope. Team members mapped the entire island’s canopy over the summer of 2013. This was based on an approach pioneered by the Mayne Island Conservancy Society. With our new map, Help The Kelp will be able to assess future changes in canopy coverage, and can assess the impact of interventions. In the fall of 2013 we pioneered and deployed another new approach that involved working with Bull Kelp at an earlier stage in its lifecycle. Mature sori from densely populated areas were harvested, dried temporarily, and then stuffed into pre-drilled carboys. We should know by late spring or early summer of 2014 if this densification approach works. Help The Kelp is attempting to develop simple, cost-effective approaches and best practices for rebuilding kelp canopies, and hopes that other communities will learn from our work.
Session Title
Session S-03E: Kelp Restoration
Conference Track
Habitat
Conference Name
Salish Sea Ecosystem Conference (2014 : Seattle, Wash.)
Document Type
Event
Start Date
30-4-2014 3:30 PM
End Date
30-4-2014 5:00 PM
Location
Room 613-614
Genre/Form
conference proceedings; presentations (communicative events)
Contributing Repository
Digital content made available by University Archives, Heritage Resources, Western Libraries, Western Washington University.
Subjects – Topical (LCSH)
Nereocystis luetkeana--British Columbia--Gabriola Island; Nereocystis luetkeana--Habitat--British Columbia--Gabriola Island; Restoration ecology--British Columbia--Gabriola Island
Geographic Coverage
Gabriola Island (B.C.); Salish Sea (B.C. and Wash.)
Rights
This resource is displayed for educational purposes only and may be subject to U.S. and international copyright laws. For more information about rights or obtaining copies of this resource, please contact University Archives, Heritage Resources, Western Libraries, Western Washington University, Bellingham, WA 98225-9103, USA (360-650-7534; heritage.resources@wwu.edu) and refer to the collection name and identifier. Any materials cited must be attributed to the Salish Sea Ecosystem Conference Records, University Archives, Heritage Resources, Western Libraries, Western Washington University.
Type
Text
Language
English
Format
application/pdf
Bull kelp mapping and replanting on Gabriola Island: The role of citizen-science
Room 613-614
On Gabriola Island, British Columbia, a group of community volunteers have focused their efforts to map and replant Bull Kelp. Help The Kelp has tried three approaches for replanting with varying degrees of success. In the winter of 2009 the group coordinated with the Nile Creek Enhancement Society in Bowser to try an untested protocol. Pre-drilled rocks were dropped overboard in a defined area and short pieces of rope were looped through holes with line that was inoculated with immature Bull Kelp growing on it. There was a small but not measurable increase in Bull Kelp in following years, but this approach failed to produce dramatic or verifiable results. In January of 2011 a more traditional approach often used by commercial kelp farmers was adopted. Two 30m long lines were placed near the bottom of the ocean and secured onto rocks with floats spread across their length to keep them off the bottom. Inoculated line was then wrapped around these ropes. Unfortunately this experiment did not work, and several other varieties of kelp common to the area colonized the rope. Team members mapped the entire island’s canopy over the summer of 2013. This was based on an approach pioneered by the Mayne Island Conservancy Society. With our new map, Help The Kelp will be able to assess future changes in canopy coverage, and can assess the impact of interventions. In the fall of 2013 we pioneered and deployed another new approach that involved working with Bull Kelp at an earlier stage in its lifecycle. Mature sori from densely populated areas were harvested, dried temporarily, and then stuffed into pre-drilled carboys. We should know by late spring or early summer of 2014 if this densification approach works. Help The Kelp is attempting to develop simple, cost-effective approaches and best practices for rebuilding kelp canopies, and hopes that other communities will learn from our work.
