Experimental canopy kelp enhancement in Puget Sound
Presentation Abstract
An interesting dichotomy exists for canopy kelp habitat (Bull kelp, Nereocystis luetkeana) in Washington State. Canopy kelp beds on the coast, Strait of Juan de Fuca are understood to persist in abundance while within Puget Sound major declines in floating canopy kelp have been documented. Losses in Puget Sound and elsewhere have captured the interest of restoration practitioners working to re-establish imperiled marine species and habitats. The consequences of these declines are not limited to the direct effects on kelp populations, but also to the many species that utilize this habitat. The Puget Sound Restoration Fund is actively working to develop enhancement practices that will restore natural recruitment of Nereocystis to discrete locations and, through scaled or repeated treatments, facilitate the persistence of re-introduced canopy kelp to historic areas. Recent work includes experimental outplants at historic kelp sites in Puget Sound. Kelp propagation and cultivation methods are well described, but enhancements intended for restoration impose special constraints to otherwise straight-forward algae production. This talk will focus on the status of that research to develop successful enhancement practices for this habitat form.
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)
Kelp bed ecology--Washington (State)--Puget Sound; Nereocystis--Washington (State)--Puget Sound; Restoration ecology--Washington (State)--Puget Sound
Geographic Coverage
Puget Sound (Wash.); 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
Experimental canopy kelp enhancement in Puget Sound
Room 613-614
An interesting dichotomy exists for canopy kelp habitat (Bull kelp, Nereocystis luetkeana) in Washington State. Canopy kelp beds on the coast, Strait of Juan de Fuca are understood to persist in abundance while within Puget Sound major declines in floating canopy kelp have been documented. Losses in Puget Sound and elsewhere have captured the interest of restoration practitioners working to re-establish imperiled marine species and habitats. The consequences of these declines are not limited to the direct effects on kelp populations, but also to the many species that utilize this habitat. The Puget Sound Restoration Fund is actively working to develop enhancement practices that will restore natural recruitment of Nereocystis to discrete locations and, through scaled or repeated treatments, facilitate the persistence of re-introduced canopy kelp to historic areas. Recent work includes experimental outplants at historic kelp sites in Puget Sound. Kelp propagation and cultivation methods are well described, but enhancements intended for restoration impose special constraints to otherwise straight-forward algae production. This talk will focus on the status of that research to develop successful enhancement practices for this habitat form.
