The Kelp Rescue Initiative

Kelps provide essential marine habitats throughout the Northeast Pacific and fuel the productivity of coastal ecosystems. Yet, kelp forest ecosystems are vulnerable to climate change, with increasingly frequent marine heatwaves and associated urchin barrens a key threat. Active interventions, including restoration efforts, are needed to improve the outlook for the persistence of kelp forest ecosystems. As the Kelp Rescue Initiative, we are advancing kelp culturing and restoration methods, including the use of “green gravel” and other outplanting approaches, on the British Columbia coastline. This work includes large-scale manipulative kelp field experiments and monitoring in Barkley Sound and the North Salish Sea, working from our kelp nurseries at Bamfield Marine Sciences Centre and Deep Bay Marine Field Station, respectively. Additionally, we are working to understand how kelp forest restoration benefits fish and invertebrate species. This work fills a critical knowledge gap that currently limits our ability to meaningfully scale-up kelp restoration efforts.

Baum Lab Team members: Dr. Lauren Dykman (KRI Restoration Science Lead), Maisie Roy-Musor (KRI Culturing and Innovation Tech), Lauren Shea (Research Tech and Operations Specialist), Tessa Rehill (MSc student), Matt Bakken (Research Assistant), Alec Jones (Research Assistant)

Recent Publications: Dykman et al. 2025. Testing the roles of local adaptation and genetic diversity to improve giant kelp (Macrocystis pyrifera) restoration. Restoration Ecology.