Where's the kelp

I fished Van Damme to Buckhorn Cove, looking for kelp and rocky bottoms. Found lots of rocks but not much kelp and only two rockfish.

Can't wait to try again.

Ask the urchins...


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The starfish got wasting disease and populations fell dramatically.  They are a major predator of urchins.  Sea otters, the other main predator of urchins, were hunted to extirpation between SF bay and the Columbia River several human generations ago.

Urchins are now unchecked and are found in concentrations over 75m^2, destroying kelp before it can get a foothold. 

That's about it.

I think the factor at work is more likely the lack of sea stars, as that is a very recent and sudden change in the local ecosystem.

We really don't want the fur bags back. The kelp has been fine for generations without them. I also believe it's the lack of sea stars that has allowed the urchin population to grow unchecked. Fortunately the sea stars are on the rebound. I have seen a lot of them on every dive and there is plenty of food for them.

We really don't want the fur bags back. The kelp has been fine for generations without them. I also believe it's the lack of sea stars that has allowed the urchin population to grow unchecked. Fortunately the sea stars are on the rebound. I have seen a lot of them on every dive and there is plenty of food for them.

I absolutely do want the sea otters back... They play a key role in California's coastal ecosystem.

The kelp may have been "fine" in recent generations from our limited perspective, but none of us were alive back when the California coastline was truly healthy (i.e. healthy populations of otters, sea stars, AND urchins).


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Kelp/ Abalone die offs/ flesh eating disease with star fish/ high levels of Dominic acid delaying crab season global warming are all just the tip of an iceberg. the ecosystems of our oceans are changing quickly.
 where's the kelp ? plenty in San Francisco Bay the problem is it isnt native.
 here's some interesting reads

Just to throw in with the rest of the theories....

We've had a pattern of above average water temps and southern hemi storms.  It was weak due to the warm conditions. It got hammered by winter storms. It will be back when we get some traditional weather patterns (nw storms, colder temps). Probably next year or the summer after.

Not quite as sexy as save the otters or invasive bay kelp.




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We really don't want the fur bags back. The kelp has been fine for generations without them. I also believe it's the lack of sea stars that has allowed the urchin population to grow unchecked. Fortunately the sea stars are on the rebound. I have seen a lot of them on every dive and there is plenty of food for them.

I absolutely do want the sea otters back... They play a key role in California's coastal ecosystem.

The kelp may have been "fine" in recent generations from our limited perspective, but none of us were alive back when the California coastline was truly healthy (i.e. healthy populations of otters, sea stars, AND urchins).


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If you want to see what the coast looks like with otters just look at big sur and even farther south. It's beautiful. Abundant fish, kelp and otters, but very few abalone or shellfish. Up north I would say that the coast has been very healthy with abundant fish, kelp and shellfish, but no otters. Recently there has been an imbalance and problems with sea star wasting which led to the urchin explosion. There has been warm water which is cyclical, there is ocean acidification from increased CO2 in the atmosphere, and dead zones from chemical fertilizer runoff. While otters may have helped keep urchin at bay they certainly aren't a solution to coastal health, and would have decimated the abalone and we wouldn't have the fishery that we have had.

Saw a sea otter off of muir beach trollin in the cluster 3 weeks ago. Furthest north ive seen one personally!

On a positive note; I dove Caspar today. Many of the pinnacles are covered in kelp. I actually even clipped off to kelp today.  The sea stars are coming back too.

Still a lot of urchins, I have to go dig some spines out now.

Saw a sea otter off of muir beach trollin in the cluster 3 weeks ago. Furthest north ive seen one personally!

My avatar was taken at Elk. IIRC it was 2010.

If you want to see what the coast looks like with otters just look at big sur and even farther south. It's beautiful. Abundant fish, kelp and otters, but very few abalone or shellfish. Up north I would say that the coast has been very healthy with abundant fish, kelp and shellfish, but no otters. Recently there has been an imbalance and problems with sea star wasting which led to the urchin explosion. There has been warm water which is cyclical, there is ocean acidification from increased CO2 in the atmosphere, and dead zones from chemical fertilizer runoff. While otters may have helped keep urchin at bay they certainly aren't a solution to coastal health, and would have decimated the abalone and we wouldn't have the fishery that we have had.

I thought the decline of abalone south of SF was due to withering foot syndrome, and not the otters.

-Allen

Saw a sea otter off of muir beach trollin in the cluster 3 weeks ago. Furthest north ive seen one personally!

My avatar was taken at Elk. IIRC it was 2010.

Pretty sure that's not a sea otter. It's a river otter. I don't know if they eat urchins.

I've looked at Thornley's avatar for years wondering about it.  While according to any literature I can find there aren't any sea otters that far north in Ca., but it sure does look like one.  Looks too big to be a river otter and in my experience river otters are much less comfortable around humans and wouldn't be likely to exhibit the behavior seen in the avatar pic.