How researchers are working to restore once-thriving kelp forest along CA Coast

LITTLE HAIR CUT SO THAT WAY THEY CAN KEEP TUMBLING REALLY NICELY. >> FOR MARINE BIOLOGISTS, WEEKLY HAIRCUTS ARE JUST PART OF CARING FOR KELP SPECIMENS THAT WILL SOON BE PART OF A CRITICAL MISSION. TO HELP RESTORE A ONCE THRIVING NATURAL POPULATION THAT HAS BEEN DECIMATED ALONG THE SONOMA COUNTY COAST LINE. IT BEGAN ROUGHLY A DECADE AGO WITH A SHIFT IN THE MARINE ENVIRONMENT THAT KILLED OFF LOCAL PREDATORS LIKE THE SUNFLOWER C STAR AT TARGET POPULATION EXPLOSION IN ANOTHER COMPETING SPECIES, RAVENOUS PURPLE SEA URCHINS WHICH FEED ON THE KELP. >> TELL BLAS HAS BEEN A DEVASTATING ISSUE ALONG THE NORTHERN CALIFORNIA COASTLINE. THE SCALE OF LOSS IS INCREDIBLE. IT IS OVER 90% SINCE 2014. >> SHE IS LEADING A CUTTING-EDGE PROJECT FOR THE ASSOCIATION AND NATIONAL MARINE SANCTUARY, WORKING WITH THE U.C. DAVIS MARINE LAB AT BODEGA BAY. THE GROUP IS GROWING THEIR OWN COLONIES WHICH THEY HOPE TO REINTRODUCE TO THE SHORELINE. ENLISTING THE HELP OF LOCAL DIVERS TO PLUCK THE URCHINS AND PLANT THE KELP. >> WE WORK WITH LOCAL COMMERCIAL URCHIN DIVERS TO REMOVE URCHINS. PURPLE URCHINS IN PARTICULAR, TO REDUCE THE GRAZING PRESSURE ON NEW KELP FOREST GROWTH. >> THEY SAY PLUCKING THE DISRUPTIVE URCHINS IS PRETTY STRAIGHTFORWARD BUT FIGURING OUT WHAT TO DO WITH IT IS A WORK IN PROGRESS. >> JUST BY LOOKING AT THIS GROUP, YOU CAN SEE THAT THEY ARE NEARLY IDENTICAL. >> GROUPS ARE EXPERIMENTING WITH IDEAS LIKE TURNING THEM INTO FERTILIZER OR CLUMPING THEM UP FOR POTENTIAL SALE TO LOCAL RESTAURANTS. >> WE ARE ALSO GOING TO BE OUT PLANTING IN THESE AREAS USING A COUPLE OF DIFFERENT METHODS. >> SEEDING PRESENTS DIFFERENT CHALLENGES. TWINE CAN BE SUNK IN PLACE WITH WEIGHTS. ROWS OF LIGHTS MIMIC CYCLES OF NIGHT AND DAY AS THE TEAM MONITORS THEIR PROGRESS UNDER THE MICROSCOPE. >> NOT EVERY WEEK WE WILL CHECK ON THE SLIDE TO MAKE SURE THEY ARE GROWING HOW WE EXPECT THEM TO. >> OTHER STRATEGIES CALL FOR DIVERS TO PLANT BAGS WITH HELP SCORES OR GLUE THEM DIRECTLY TO THE UNDERWATER REEF. WHILE I'M SURE WHICH ONE WILL BE THE MOST SUCCESSFUL, ANTICIPATION IS BUILDING WITH WORK EXPECTED TO BEGIN A LITTLE LATER THIS SUMMER. >> WE GET TO BE OUT THERE, DOING THIS INCREDIBLE WORK, SEEING THESE SITES RECOVER, AND REALLY FORGING A PATH FORWARD THAT WE HOPE WILL BE ABLE TO BE USED BOTH REGIONALLY AND ACROSS THE GLOBE. >> AND FOR THE NATIONAL MARINE SANCTUARY, IT'S A CHANCE TO RESTORE AN ECOSYSTEM CRITICAL

Channel: ABC7 News Bay Area

Views: 644

Keywords: news, abc7news, abc7, kelp restoration, Sonoma county coast, uc davis marine lab, bodega bay, Greater Farallones Association, Greater Farallones National Marine Sanctuary, purple sea urchins, Sonoma State University, Moss Landing Marine Labs

Id: yDwd9e_CuFk

Length: 3min 1sec (181 seconds)

Published: Tue Jun 13 2023