Reef Check Visits British Columbia for Kelp Node Workshop in Bamfield

By Jackie Selbitschka, Reef Check Washington Regional Manager

Since 2022 Reef Check has been participating in the transboundary Kelp Node group based in the Pacific Northwest that brings together kelp practitioners composed of First Nations stewards, researchers, managers, policy makers, educators and citizen scientists. The aim is to advance kelp conservation, management and recovery in the shared waterways of British Columbia and Washington State. The Node is composed of six working groups spanning a range of topics related to kelp conservation: Canopy Kelp Spatial Dynamics, Subtidal Kelp & Kelp Ecosystem Services, Kelp Drivers of Change, Kelp Early Life Histories & Restoration, Participative Kelp Science, Training and Engagement and Data Integration. 

Through these working groups, Reef Check was invited to participate in a kelp forest monitoring development workshop held at Bamfield Marine Science Center (BMSC) in Bamfield, British Columbia, Canada. Representatives from Hakai Institute, Huu-ay-aht First Nations, Kelp Rescue Initiative, and Department of Fisheries and Oceans Canada under the organization of Markus Thompson from Thalassia Environmental came together with the goal of creating kelp monitoring protocols that could be implemented by Indigenous Guardian initiatives across British Columbia. Launched in 2017, the Indigenous Guardians have implemented programs that support Indigenous rights and responsibilities in managing lands, waters and resources guided by science, both Indigenous and western. 

During the workshop we spent six days sharing methods and training materials from our various programs to create a robust monitoring program that could be implemented by any Guardian group. While there was a day focused on aerial drone photogrammetry and ROVs, the majority of our time was spent developing subtidal monitoring protocols that could be adapted to fit the needs and interests of individual First Nations. We spent the mornings sharing and adapting protocols and used the afternoons to implement them in various kelp forests around Barkley Sound. Additionally we spent time on how to teach species ID and creating helpful training tools. What ultimately formed was a tiered monitoring program that included the use of drones, ROVs and scuba surveys to capture the state of kelp forests. The protocols that emerged from this workshop will be implemented at a training in Calvert, British Columbia in the fall. 

Thank you to all organizers and participants; we felt very welcomed by the BMSC dive program and local residents during our time on their beautiful campus.