The Kelp Rescue Initiative

📸: Fernando Lessa, Kelp Rescue Initiative.
Authors: Lauren Dykman, @claysteell.bsky.social, Jordan Bemmels, Grace Melchers, @scuba-timmer.bsky.social , Gregory Owens, Chris Neufeld, & @baumlab.bsky.social

While there remains some uncertainties and survivorship still remains low due to factors like grazing and swell displacing the outplants, these findings highlight modest enhancements to restoration success in regions of warming ocean.

We also found that creating cultures from a larger number of parents decreases self-fertilization rates but doesn’t necessarily result in better restoration outcomes. However, the long-term consequences of low genetic diversity in culture stocks used in restoration are unclear.

Overall, we found limited evidence for local adaptation to thermal microclimates, and that kelp sourced from warm sites sometimes performed worse than kelp from cold sites and may be maladapted to their environment. Sourcing kelp from colder sites may improve restoration outcomes in warming regions.

We also grew kelp from gametophyte “seed stocks” sourced from either 2 or 10 parents to explore how genetic diversity affected the success of kelp in these warm sites.

We grew giant kelp from warm and cold populations within a small geographic region in Barkley Sound, and performed a reciprocal transplant, moving warm populations to cold sites and cold populations to warm sites to explore whether giant kelp are locally adapted to their conditions.

Increasingly warming oceans threaten kelp forests worldwide. Where kelp forests have been lost, scientists, First Nations, and community members seek to restore lost kelp habitat. But how do you restore kelp forests when temperatures keep getting hotter?

In this work, led by Dr. Lauren Dykman and published in Restoration Ecology, we experimentally tested the roles of local adaptation and genetic diversity on the restoration success of giant kelp.

Kelp Rescue is excited to announce the publication of our 1st ever kelp restoration peer-reviewed paper! 🎉Since our start in 2021, we've been testing scientific approaches to kelp restoration, and this paper is the culmination of a huge team effort.
onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...

🌊 We're Hiring! 🌱

The Kelp Rescue Initiative (KRI) is seeking a Restoration and Nursery Technician to join our passionate and science-driven team at the Bamfield Marine Sciences Centre (BMSC) on Vancouver Island.

👉 Full job description and how to apply: lnkd.in/djbQBkQ8

🌊 Request for Proposals – Kelp Rescue Initiatives Outreach Support 🌿 | The Kelp Rescue Initiative 🌊 Request for Proposals – Kelp Rescue Initiatives Outreach Support 🌿 Are you a creative communicator, video storyteller, or digital outreach expert with a passion for marine ecosystems? The Kelp Resc...

The Kelp Rescue Initiative is seeking proposals for the following roles:
🎥 1. Educational Training Video Producer
📱 2. Social Media and Outreach Campaign Coordinator
🎬 3. 360-Video Editor for VR Dive Tours

📩 Interested? View the full RFP and submission details here: www.linkedin.com/posts/kelp-r...

Happy #PhycologyFriday🌿🌊 Watch how fast our outplanted kelp grows in only one month, providing habitat for fish at Denman Island!

We just got back from the first field trip of the season, checking on the 1000 square meters of bull kelp outplanted in partnership with @kelprescue.bsky.social and Project Watershed.

The kelp babies are still small, but should grow fast in the coming months!