Some juvenile Bull Kelp (Nereocystis luetkeana) has been washing ashore recently (photo above from 27 July 2019). It made me wonder — What's the smallest Bull Kelp I've photographed?
Here's one from August 2016 that's a fairly similar size to the one pictured above. (Although there's a very small individual that doesn't have a float yet hiding behind Eric's finger.)
And here's one from May 2012 that was growing in a tidepool in Mendocino County. The float wasn't fully formed yet, and the blades attached to the float hadn't split:
I'll have to keep better track of the young individuals. What's the smallest Bull Kelp float you've seen?
2 comments:
Has there been any improvement in the kelp forests?
Hi, Charlie,
Thanks so much for reading and for the question. I don't survey Bull Kelp myself, but here are links to some helpful resources provided by CDFW:
A 2017 article about CDFW Kelp Surveys:
https://www.wildlife.ca.gov/Science-Institute/News/cdfw-kelp-survey
A recent update from Laura Rogers-Bennett:
https://www.wildlife.ca.gov/Science-Institute/News/californias-disappearing-kelp-forests-what-scientists-and-divers-can-do-to-reverse-this-trend
The Sonoma-Mendocino Bull Kelp Recovery Plan:
https://farallones.org/climate/kelp/
I hope this helps!
Jackie
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