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Great article, thanks for posting that.
In Northern California the water temps are still cold and that’s wasn’t the initial problem like further north. We get Alaskan deep water upwellings that consistently bring down the water temps and keep them cold. Our issue was the disappearance of giant sunflower stars which lead to the proliferation of purple urchins which have devastated our kelp forests. There was one El Niño event that warmed up the water more than usual but not like the heat blob you guys got.
I have been consistently doing urchin removal dives to try and reestablish kelp in one cove, but I can’t do it alone. I’m always planning urchin dives and encourage anyone that is interested in taking part to please contact me.
All you need is a few items of extra gear and a commitment to show up. We’ll show you what to do.
We need to become the new giant sea stars or the sea otter. Purple urchins currently have no predators except for us.
The water is cold enough for kelp to thrive. Right now it’s averaging 49 to 53 degrees depending on the day and the currents. That’s the perfect target zone. I’m seeing kelp beds re-establish themselves offshore so I know the spores are out there floating around.
Oh they’ve tried re-introduction programs several times and unfortunately it didn’t work.You need some mating pairs of sea otters to help you out!