FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
June 7, 2007

CONTACTS:

Justin Kenney
Press Officer, The Pew Environment Group
The Pew Charitable Trusts
Direct Line: 215-575-4816
jkenney@pewtrusts.org

Unsustainable Harvest of Bull Kelp Could Harm Coastal Ecosystems in Pacific Northwest

New study emphasizes the importance of conserving this fragile resource

(Washington, D.C.) — In advance of Oregon considering management measures on the commercial harvest of bull kelp, the Lenfest Ocean Program released a study on Thursday highlighting the significance of this seaweed to coastal ecosystems along the United States’ and Canada’s Pacific shore and recommending its careful management.

The report- Ecology and Management of the Bull Kelp, Nereocystis luetkeana: A Synthesis with Recommendations for Future Research, summarizes what is known about this large brown algae (its life cycle, uses and role in coastal ecosystems) and concludes that bull kelp not only plays a vital role in sustaining our ocean life and beaches, but is also very likely more sensitive to extraction than the more common giant kelp. The report recommends that harvest regulations take into account bull kelp’s unique biology.

"Sea otters, shorebirds, juvenile salmon, rockfish and shrimp are just a few of the many species that rely on bull kelp forests for feeding, spawning and sheltered habitat," says Margaret Bowman, director of the Lenfest Ocean Program at The Pew Charitable Trusts. "This study sounds an alarm to all those who love to walk on our beaches, fish in our oceans, eat seafood or watch wildlife-bull kelp harvesting must be managed carefully in order to ensure this important component of the Pacific coast marine ecosystem is not put at risk."

The report, which can be found at www.lenfestocean.org, is being released at the start of the Symposium on Managing Temperate Reef Resources-a two-day meeting in Seattle at which kelp experts will help inform natural resource managers, including those from Oregon’s Department of State Lands, on how to balance commercial extraction of bull kelp with conservation.

Kelp is used by the pharmaceutical industry, sold as herbal supplements, eaten as a health food, and added to lotions and skin treatments. It is also used as feed in commercial abalone farms. Most kelp harvest is of the giant kelp. However, there is growing concern that to meet market demand bull kelp harvest will increase along the Oregon and Washington shores, where much of the nation’s bull kelp is located.

According to the authors of the study, more resources should be dedicated to the development and implementation of bull kelp stock assessment programs, harvest record databases and management guidelines. Before increased commercial extraction of bull kelp is approved, they recommend that state fisheries managers in the US and federal fisheries managers in Canada develop extraction regulations that take into account the species’ unique ecology.

"We need more and better data on the biology of this kelp as well as the fish, invertebrates and other algae that associate with it in kelp forest ecosystems," said Dr. Yuri Springer, lead author of the peer-reviewed report. "These data, together with a greater understanding of how this kelp responds to different extraction methods, would help frame regulations aimed at ensuring that bull kelp populations are harvested sustainably."

Although bull kelp is one of the fastest growing algae in the world (it can grow several inches each day and reach 50-60 ft in 6 months), its lifespan is very short and its survival is dependent upon it reproducing each year. Because the parts of the bull kelp that enable reproduction, growth and buoyancy are located near the top of the plant, traditional kelp harvesting techniques, which involve cutting off the top two meters of the forest canopy, are not necessarily well-suited to this algae.

Oregon is currently considering whether and how to protect its kelp forests. Although bull kelp is designated Essential Fish Habitat by the federal government, each state has jurisdiction over how to manage and conserve their own bull kelp forests.

Kelp Ecology and Economic Value

Kelp forests, which adhere to rocks from the ocean’s edge to depths of 100 feet, provide food, habitat and refuge for a wide variety of marine and coastal species. Fish use them as a refuge from predators and as nurseries for their young. Sea otters and shore birds forage for prey or enjoy the calmer waters within them. Crustaceans, sea urchins and other ocean life feed directly on the kelp. Once it has died, the long, smooth, brown leaf-like blades that wash ashore or fall into submarine canyons provide important nutrients and habitat for other plants and animals, including Pacific blue mussels, crabs and beach hoppers.

Kelp forests also benefit humans. They provide a physical barrier along the coastline dampening ocean waves, thereby reducing coastal erosion, and many animals important to commercial and recreational fishermen, scuba divers, bird watchers and kayakers depend on kelp forests.

Study Authors