Bull Kelp is a very large alga when full grown — the stipe (stem) alone can reach a length of ~36 meters (~118 feet!), and the pneumatocyst (float) can be as large as 15 cm (0.5 feet) across.
These two juveniles pictured above are quite small — the larger individual's stipe measured ~4.5 cm (~1.7 inches) and its pneumatocyst was only 1 cm (0.4 inches) across. (The smaller individual doesn't have a pneumatocyst yet; and its first broad blade hasn't yet split into Bull Kelp's distinctive ribbon-like blades.)
With the end of El Niño and water temperatures cooling down, I hope this year will be a better year for kelps in our region.
Photograph from Salmon Creek Beach on 6 August 2016.
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