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The Kelp Rescue Initiative

@kelprescue.bsky.social
142 followers 26 following 40 posts

The Kelp Rescue Initiative is a non-profit operating out of the Bamfield Marine Sciences Center (Bamfield, British Columbia). Our mission is to advance kelp research and restoration and restore resilient kelp forests at an ecologically meaningful scale.

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The Kelp Rescue Initiative @kelprescue.bsky.social · 18/04/2026
Our first ARKEVs in Barkley Sound have now been in the water for a month and a half! By now, the sporophytes have likely established holdfasts and started developing blades. #PhycologyFriday #Kelp #OceanConservation
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The Kelp Rescue Initiative @kelprescue.bsky.social · 27/03/2026
All of our restoration sites have been successfully outplanted for the year 🎉 Wish our kelp luck and stay tuned for updates from the monitoring team. #Kelp #KelpRestoration #OceanConservation #VancouverIsland
Looking down through clear water at kelp restoration units
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The Kelp Rescue Initiative @kelprescue.bsky.social · 20/03/2026
Meet ARKEV, our newest kelp outplanting method! Designed for high grazing areas, ARKEVs suspend young kelp in the water column, out of reach of urchins and crabs, giving it time to grow and release spores back to the seafloor. Curious about it? Ask away! #KelpRestoration #OceanConservation #Kelp
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Reposted by The Kelp Rescue Initiative
Pacific Institute for Climate Solutions @picscanada.bsky.social · 11/03/2026
New Knowledge Highlights from PICS scholars 🌿 These short case studies share research developed in collaboration with First Nations communities across B.C., exploring topics like Indigenous stewardship, climate adaptation, and food sovereignty. climatesolutions.ca/knowledge-hi...
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The Kelp Rescue Initiative @kelprescue.bsky.social · 06/03/2026
Practice makes… competition 😅 Who do you think finished stringing their side of the ARKEV unit faster, left or right? #KelpRestoration #PhycologyFriday #Kelp #OceanConservation
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The Kelp Rescue Initiative @kelprescue.bsky.social · 27/02/2026
We are halfway through outplanting! Watch our team plant juvenile #kelp grown on cobble rock at one of our restoration sites. #KelpRestoration #OceanConservation
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The Kelp Rescue Initiative @kelprescue.bsky.social · 21/02/2026
We had a chilly but successful start to our outplanting season this week! #Kelp #KelpRestoration
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The Kelp Rescue Initiative @kelprescue.bsky.social · 13/02/2026
#Kelp sporophytes under the microscope! Using chlorophyll fluorescence, our team is tracking blade size, number and health as they grow. By imaging primed and control samples, we compare development and test whether early warm exposure can help kelp better cope with ocean warming. #ThermalPriming
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The Kelp Rescue Initiative @kelprescue.bsky.social · 07/02/2026
We’re hiring two full-time roles based in Bamfield, BC:
 Nursery Manager – leads kelp culturing and nursery operations.
 Operations Coordinator – coordinates field, logistics and restoration work. Full details linked below: www.kelprescue.org/about#job-op... #Kelp #KelpRestoration #MarineCareers
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The Kelp Rescue Initiative @kelprescue.bsky.social · 20/01/2026
Our team has been hard at getting ARKEV units ready! ARKEV = Array to Recover Kelp Ecosystem Vegetation. These units are designed to float while anchored to the seafloor, keeping young kelp out of reach from seafloor grazers like urchins. Next month, these units will be in the ocean, growing #kelp!
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The Kelp Rescue Initiative @kelprescue.bsky.social · 17/01/2026
We are seeking proposals from qualified contractors to lead the development of the “Roadmap to BC Kelp Recovery,” a living document (in the form of a website) that will guide kelp ecosystem restoration across British Columbia. See full RFP details: tinyurl.com/bdfe5fdn #KelpRestoration
tinyurl.com
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The Kelp Rescue Initiative @kelprescue.bsky.social · 06/01/2026
Dive into a #KelpForest, no wetsuit required. We offer VR kelp forest experiences and educational talks for classrooms, organizations and events, designed to build understanding, curiosity and care for these vital ecosystems. Email us at info@kelpresuce.org to find out more!
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The Kelp Rescue Initiative @kelprescue.bsky.social · 24/12/2025
Happy holidays from all of us at The Kelp Rescue Initiative! We’re grateful for our community of ocean lovers, scientists, partners and donors who make kelp restoration possible. Thank you for caring for the coast. Wishing you a peaceful season and time to enjoy the shore you help protect!
Two scuba divers underwater, one is carrying a bin with kelp to outplant and the other is waving to the camera
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The Kelp Rescue Initiative @kelprescue.bsky.social · 12/12/2025
We’ve got to give it up for our dive team! From collecting to outplanting to monitoring, they spent A LOT of time working underwater this year. Our #kelp forest restoration wouldn’t be possible without them! #2025recap #ScienceDiving #ScubaDiving
2025 dives recapped. Number of dives: 370. Hours underwater: 308. Number of divers: 11. Dive sites: 17.
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The Kelp Rescue Initiative @kelprescue.bsky.social · 06/12/2025
Ever wonder how bull kelp survives heavy surf and currents? The outer wall of the stipe is made up of strong, elastic cells and the hollow middle is filled with a gelatinous fluid allowing it to flex with the water instead of break! How incredible is #kelp? #PhycologyFriday #VancouverIsland #BC
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The Kelp Rescue Initiative @kelprescue.bsky.social · 28/11/2025
Where #rainforest meets #kelpforest, something remarkable happens. These two powerhouse ecosystems shape each other at the tide line: rainforests filter water and hold shorelines, while kelp buffers storms and brings nutrients back to land. Healthy coasts depend on both.
Split shot with kelp below the waterline and forest above
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The Kelp Rescue Initiative @kelprescue.bsky.social · 21/11/2025
Bts in our nursery, we’re working with #kelp at one of its smallest stages: microscopic gametophytes. Early results show we may be able to lower seeding densities by about 2.5x while still getting the coverage we need. More experiments coming this winter! #Phycology #KelpRestoration
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The Kelp Rescue Initiative @kelprescue.bsky.social · 15/11/2025
Each #kelp population carries its own genetic mix shaped by local conditions. When forests shrink or become isolated they can lose diversity, slowing recovery. Our research shows mixing individuals from different regions may support resilience. Dive deeper: kelprescue.org/publications
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The Kelp Rescue Initiative @kelprescue.bsky.social · 08/11/2025
How do you plant a forest under the sea? It starts in the nursery. Tiny #kelp gametophytes are grown on rocks, tiles and other materials, then carefully moved to the ocean floor. We’re refining these methods to make restoration scalable across BC. #HelpKelp #OceanRestoration #BC
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The Kelp Rescue Initiative @kelprescue.bsky.social · 31/10/2025
#HappyHalloween 🎃 Meet the ocean’s “zombies,” purple urchins. They strip #KelpForests bare and survive for years without food by slowing their metabolism and consuming their own tissues. Alive but barely, waiting for the kelp to return. 👻
Purple urchin in a rock crevasse with red urchin
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The Kelp Rescue Initiative @kelprescue.bsky.social · 23/10/2025
More fall happenings in the kelp forest, a hooded #nudibranch (Melibe leonina) feeding aggregation. Have you ever had a chance to witness this in your local #KelpForest?
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The Kelp Rescue Initiative @kelprescue.bsky.social · 22/10/2025
With in-water monitoring done, we’re reviewing #underwater camera footage from the summer. This #GiantKelp (Macrocystis) bed we restored thrived until late July, homing copper rockfish and perch before urchins grazed it down. Though unfortunate, seeing the successful restoration was a win!
Giant kelp forest with a school of perchGiant kelp forest with a school of perchGiant kelp forest with a school of perchGiant kelp forest with a copper rockfish
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The Kelp Rescue Initiative @kelprescue.bsky.social · 17/10/2025
Last week, Dr. Katie Dobkowski generously gave our team a presentation on the role of #kelp crabs as bull kelp consumers. A few things we learned: they prefer reproductive tissue (sori) over non-reproductive, they have a wide temp tolerance and can turn bright orange if they eat sargassum!
Kelp crab clings onto a blade of bull kelpKelp crabs crawling on stipes in the kelp fores
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The Kelp Rescue Initiative @kelprescue.bsky.social · 10/10/2025
Noticing piles of #kelp on the beach? As leaves fall, kelp loosens from the seafloor. Carried ashore, microbes and small creatures break it down, releasing nutrients into the sand and soil. Even after leaving the ocean, kelp supports life on the coast. #Nature #VancouverIsland
Bull kelp washed up on the beach
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The Kelp Rescue Initiative @kelprescue.bsky.social · 06/10/2025
Thank you @cpawsbc.bsky.social , @georgiastraitbc.bsky.social and @penderconservancy.bsky.social for having us this weekend! So great to spend time with and learn from fellow #TideTurners
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The Kelp Rescue Initiative @kelprescue.bsky.social · 01/10/2025
Spotted in the kelp forest this week, signs of seasonal shift! By early fall, bull kelp slows and softens. Epiphytes and larger opportunistic seaweeds can “hitchhike,” becoming micro-habitats for invertebrates and microbes. Even at the end of its life, bull #kelp supports #biodiversity.
Bull kelp with a green seaweed growing along its stipe
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The Kelp Rescue Initiative @kelprescue.bsky.social · 26/09/2025
Wildlife, kelp forests and ROVs, what more could you ask for in a day on the water? We joined the Tla’amin Nation Guardian Watchmen to lead ROV training and chat about survey methods and kelp forest ecology. Thanks for having us!
Group standing around on the boat deck looking at bull kelpBrian demonstrating how to steer the ROVPassion over the controls of the ROV for everyone to tryThe view of the forest from the captains chair on the boat
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The Kelp Rescue Initiative @kelprescue.bsky.social · 25/09/2025
Always nice to end our field season on a positive note. After building an urchin fence and outplanting kelp, this site, which had completely disappearing in 2014, is recovering well.
Diver measuring bull kelp
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The Kelp Rescue Initiative @kelprescue.bsky.social · 16/07/2025
Kelp Rescue is excited to announce the publication of our 1st ever kelp restoration peer-reviewed paper! 🎉Since our start in 2021, we've been testing scientific approaches to kelp restoration, and this paper is the culmination of a huge team effort. onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...
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The Kelp Rescue Initiative @kelprescue.bsky.social · 25/06/2025
🌊 We're Hiring! 🌱 The Kelp Rescue Initiative (KRI) is seeking a Restoration and Nursery Technician to join our passionate and science-driven team at the Bamfield Marine Sciences Centre (BMSC) on Vancouver Island. 👉 Full job description and how to apply: lnkd.in/djbQBkQ8
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The Kelp Rescue Initiative @kelprescue.bsky.social · 20/06/2025
The Kelp Rescue Initiative is seeking proposals for the following roles: 🎥 1. Educational Training Video Producer 📱 2. Social Media and Outreach Campaign Coordinator 🎬 3. 360-Video Editor for VR Dive Tours 📩 Interested? View the full RFP and submission details here: www.linkedin.com/posts/kelp-r...
linkedin.com
🌊 Request for Proposals – Kelp Rescue Initiatives Outreach Support 🌿 | The Kelp Rescue Initiative
🌊 Request for Proposals – Kelp Rescue Initiatives Outreach Support 🌿 Are you a creative communicator, video storyteller, or digital outreach expert with a passion for marine ecosystems? The Kelp Resc...
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The Kelp Rescue Initiative @kelprescue.bsky.social · 06/06/2025
Happy #PhycologyFriday🌿🌊 Watch how fast our outplanted kelp grows in only one month, providing habitat for fish at Denman Island!
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Reposted by The Kelp Rescue Initiative
Brian Timmer @scuba-timmer.bsky.social · 23/04/2025
We just got back from the first field trip of the season, checking on the 1000 square meters of bull kelp outplanted in partnership with @kelprescue.bsky.social and Project Watershed. The kelp babies are still small, but should grow fast in the coming months!
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