Salish Sea bull kelp restoration research: local, regional and international collaborations

Bull kelp forests are important nearshore habitats for many fish and invertebrates and are an integral part of the “salmon highway” from river to estuary to ocean and back. In recent decades kelp forests have been in serious decline in the Salish Sea and other coastal regions. Research to improve our understanding of causes of the decline and on restoration methods began in the north Salish Sea in 2011 with a kelp out-planting project by Nile Creek Enhancement Society(NCES) at Hornby Island. NCES and Project Watershed began a collaboration in 2015 with work in the K\u27omoks Estuary and Cape Lazo shoal, becoming part of the Salish Sea Marine Survival Project of the Pacific Salmon Foundation. In 2016 academic collaborations with Simon Fraser University and with the University of Wisconsin – Milwaukee were initiated to include the study of stress-resiliency of life stages and population genetics of bull kelp. Project Watershed and NCES also participate in a Nearshore Habitat Working Group in BC with members from Citizen\u27s Science, three universities and several non-profit environmental groups