Their research indicates that giant kelp is very hardy and can recover from major problems, but that fishes and other kelp forest animals are steadily declining. The main problem appears to be overfishing.

Bula snail

Dayton and others thus recommend more and larger marine reserves in order to study and protect endangered populations.

For more information:

•Watch Ghost Forest, a short film about the conditions in local kelp forests. Ghost Forest was produced by the Birch Aquarium at Scripps Institution of Oceanography.

•See the previous issue of Voyager, Giant Kelp: Fabulous Forests in a Watery World.