Press

By Jan Freiwald, Reef Check Foundation Executive Director

Kelp forests are one of the ocean’s most vibrant ecosystems, providing food, shelter, and protection for countless marine species. But along the West Coast of North America, these undersea forests are in trouble. Between 2013 and 2015, extreme warm-water events devastated canopy kelp species like bull kelp (Nereocystis luetkeana) and giant kelp (Macrocystis pyrifera). The loss was particularly severe in Northern California, where efforts to restore these vital habitats have ramped up in recent years.

Central California’s kelp forests, including those along the iconic Big Sur coastline, have fared better, maintaining healthy kelp longer than other regions. But recent monitoring along the Big Sur coast suggests even these strongholds are now under threat. From 2015 to 2023, data collected by Reef Check’s subtidal surveys at eight long-term monitoring sites showed a sharp increase in purple urchin densities. These herbivores, which feed on kelp, saw their densities increase nearly tenfold at monitored sites, from less than 1 per square meter in 2015 to over 8 per square meter on average by 2023. Some areas reached densities as high as 20 urchins per square meter—a level that can decimate kelp forests. At the same time, at five of the eight monitored sites, giant kelp densities plummeted by more than 75%, dropping from 1.52 stipes per square meter in 2015 to just 0.35 in 2023. Urchin barrens, reefs denuded of kelp and covered in sea urchins, started to form in many places.

Faced with these alarming trends, Reef Check teamed up with local community members and commercial fishers to implement a restoration strategy of early intervention of targeted urchin removal. The idea was to remove urchins from an area that is still close to healthy kelp forest nearby in order to reverse the trend before it becomes widespread. At a site in Big Sur where urchin densities had reached over 26 per square meter, commercial urchin divers removed urchins over two years. By 2024, urchin density had dropped and stayed at just about 4 to 5 urchins per square meter. 

The results were immediate and encouraging. By the fall of 2023, canopy kelp, mostly bull kelp, had rebounded dramatically. Densities at this site went from near zero in 2022 to 2.71 per square meter—rivaling those of nearby healthy kelp forests. Even more promising, this recovery persisted through 2024, with kelp densities stabilizing at levels similar to surrounding healthy forests.

This success story shows that early intervention can work, even if urchin populations aren’t reduced to the theoretical level of 2 per square meter, which has been cited in much of the restoration work as needed for the reversal of urchin barrens to kelp forests. The findings suggest that early action can make a big difference, offering hope for the future of California’s kelp forests and the marine life that depends on them.

With continued restoration efforts, it is our expectation to protect some of the kelp forests that are still strong and bring back some of the ones lost to urchin barrens. For now, scientists, divers and supporters are racing against time to protect these essential habitats and the intricate web of life they support.

We have lined up some amazing talks for you to get your Reef Check fix over these winter months. The following is what is ahead for our Winter Webinar Series with more dates to come. Use the links below to register and add them to your calendar!

January 8th 7-8p PST: Reef Check Hawai’i with Brad Giles

Ever wanted to bring your Reef Check skills to warmer waters? Join Brad to hear about the relaunch of the Reef Check Hawai’i program and how to get involved! 

January 29th 6-7p PST: Washington Kelp Farming with Mike Spranger

The mission of Pacific Sea Farms  is to be a commercially viable farm and to educate and inspire people about the benefits of wild and cultivated seaweed in the Pacific Northwest. Mike Spranger with Pacific Sea Farm will be speaking to us about what is kelp farming, what its like to launch a kelp farm operation in the state of Washington and the business and social aspects involved. 

March 12th 6-7p PST: 2024 Season Summary with Reef Check Staff

Join us to hear all about the successes of the Kelp Forest Monitoring program 2024 season. We will also be sharing some data analysis from the last few years and highlighting the ways the data you collected has been used by other organizations to help inform the status of kelp up and down the west coast. 

By Reef Check’s Baja California Regional Manager Jessica Pantoja
Photos: Anahi Bermudez

Did you know we have been working on a bi-national Kelp Forest Monitoring Program between Mexico and the US? This month, Reef Check and our key partners in Mexico, such as the MexCal team from UABC (Universidad Autónoma de Baja California) and the NGO ECOCIMATI, took another step in enhancing a long-term, large-scale program to monitor and evaluate our shared coastal ecosystems. Newly hired Baja California Regional Manager Jessica Pantoja from Reef Check and Alex Castillo (MexCal) will coordinate this new adventure by bringing together volunteers from both sides of the border to dive with purpose along the beautiful northwest coast. 

A recap of October’s surveys: 

2024’s surveys began in Ensenada with a mix of volunteers from the United States and Mexico, and staff from MexCal and Reef Check. The group of 10 divers set out from Ensenada to survey Todos Santos Bay and areas further along the coast. In three days the team surveyed the sites of Salsipuedes, San Miguel, Todos Santos Island, and Punta Banda- the southern tip of the bay. This Bi-national team completed four survey sites and has trained three Ensenada locals in Reef Check and MexCal-adapted protocols. 

On the second weekend the team moved north to the Coronado Islands, located off the coast of Tijuana, where four more sites were surveyed. By the end of the second weekend, our newly hired regional managers were running surveys and taking charge in English, Spanish and bubbles! 

These underwater ecological surveys are already documenting critical insights. For example, data show an increase in urchin density and invasive algae species like hornweed (Sargassum horneri) and a decrease in kelp species like giant kelp (Macrocystis pyrifera) and California sea palm (Eisenia arborea). However, some areas like the islands of Todos Santos were still thriving and seemingly recovering from past years. 

Looking ahead, we are hoping to expand our survey range throughout the coastline and bring in a variety of volunteer divers from Baja and beyond. With dedicated staff focusing on the Baja region, we also hope to conduct a much longer season throughout the summer of 2025! This program was made possible thanks to grant support from the Binational Resilience Initiative at San Diego Foundation, as well as the support of our local collaborators (MexCal, ECOCIMATI, UABC, and all the local eager divers), who have had a key role in creating one of the long-term kelp forest monitoring programs in Baja California.

We look forward to continuing our local collaboration as we continue the program! 

Monitoring these ecosystems is essential for understanding their health and vulnerabilities, and providing key data to support decision-making that drives management and conservation efforts. Additionally, given that Baja California’s kelp forests are thought to be oracles for the future of kelp forests in California and along the Northwest coast, these collaborations are an opportunity to enhance our understanding of these systems at larger scales with the hands and eyes of local divers up and down the coast!

In February, Blue Endeavors hosted Reef Check’s Dan Abbott and Joshua Russo, President of the Watermen’s Alliance, for a deep discussion on California’s North Coast Purple Urchin Situation. The talk, held in-person in Alameda, was recorded and featured the latest news on North Coast urchin removal efforts.

n honor of the 50th anniversary of Earth Day, California Natural Resources Agency hosted a number of California resources-related talks that you can tune in to at home! Reef Check’s Tristin McHugh was invited to speak about the exciting Kelp Restoration Program that we are launching in Northern California, and provide some background and context pertaining to that effort.

Get ready to place your bids! Reef Check’s online auction fundraiser, “Bid for the Oceans”, kicks off September 16 and will run until September 26. Visit starting September 9 for a sneak peek at all the items! From dive trips, resort stays, unique experiences and cool gear, there will be something for everyone. Plus, when you bid on all the exclusive and exciting deals, you will be supporting Reef Check’s work around the world.

This Auction is very important for Reef Check. It will help raise the funds we need to get our work done and keep our doors open! It will help fund our volunteer trainings, our survey expeditions, our education trips- all of it.

Get in on the action at www.reefcheck.org/bidfortheoceans.