Our kelp resources are incredibly important to the survival of our oceans. Efforts must be made to preserve the kelp we have, and replace the kelp we have lost. Programs like Puget Sound Kelp Conservation and Recovery Plan in Washington State along with other organizations like The Limu Hui in Hawaii are striving to repair this precious resource, for our environment and our people.
In the photo on the left, you can clearly see the kelp with it’s anchor. The holdfast held strong and the kelp never broke from it. The rock however, was too small to weigh this blade of laminaria down. It simply acted as a sail as winter waves carried the rock on to the shore.
Photo on the right: Salt Creek, on a rare sunny winter’s day in the Pacific Northwest.
As the holdfasts give way to the force of winter storms, nutrients and carbon accumulated in the kelp are transported to the Salt Creek estuary by the force of powerful waves. This estuary is teeming with life that will break down the kelp and redistribute their nutrients, where they become bioavailable to many species of fish and other animals.
