Legislation Looks To Recognize Bull Kelp

Legislation introduced in the Washington state House last week looks to establish bull kelp as the state’s marine forest.  House Bill 1631, introduced by Kitsap Representative Greg Nance cleared the House Committee on State Government & Tribal Relations Friday.

“Kelp is one of the superheroes of our marine ecosystem,” said Nance. “It can be a key player in protecting Puget Sound and our efforts to boost salmon populations and save our endangered orcas. The first step is to raise awareness and help folks understand why this is such a vital resource.”

Along with providing nutrients and habitat for marine animals like juvenile salmon, kelp crabs, red sea urchins, sea stars, and Pacific herring, he noted that kelp forests have also been shown to sequester carbon at a faster rate than land forests thanks to its rapid growth rate of up to 10 inches per day.

Nance said bull kelp forests once flourished along the West coast from California to Alaska, but pollution, industrialization, and climate change have greatly depleted this resource by as much as 90% over the last 150 years.

“I’ve been on a lifelong mission to protect Puget Sound ever since I was inspired by a Suquamish elder during a shoreline cleanup as a kid,” Nance said. “Now there’s a whole new generation of conservationists ready to tackle the big problems we’re facing, and we need to give our future leaders as many tools as we can to continue these efforts.”

The legislation is supported by over 40 leading conservation organizations including Puget Sound Restoration Fund, Seattle Aquarium, and Washington Association of Land Trusts.

If you have a story idea for the PNW Ag Network, call (509) 547-1618, or e-mail glenn.vaagen@townsquaremedia.com