I feel as though my first lesson in web food ecology was learning about the dynamics between the Sea Otter, Sea Urchin, and the Kelp Forest. When one is out of balance (i.e. population is up or down) then it affects all of the other species. 

When Europeans settled along the West Coast of North America, they hunted Sea Otters for their pelts. The Sea Otters nearly went extinct. Environmental protection from the Endangered Species Act and the Marine Mammal Protection Act increased the Sea Otter population, but not everywhere. 

The Sea Otters are not found off the coast of Northern California, just North of Monterey Bay where the Kelp Forests have decreased by 90% over the past decade. However, in Monterey Bay the Kelp Forests have only decreased by 60% (still not great, but significantly better than to the North). The reason?

There is a presence of Sea Otters in Monterey Bay and they are keeping the Sea Urchin population in check.

Link to Article: https://www.kpbs.org/news/2021/may/04/sea-otters-guardians-monterey-bays-kelp-forest/ 

Researchers have found that rabbitfish that normally occupy coral reef habitats are moving to cooler waters with kelp forests in which they are eating all of the kelp. Researchers are worried that the fish will leave the forests barren and ruin the habitat for other species.

Links To Articles:

https://www.mnn.com/earth-matters/wilderness-resources/stories/coral-reef-fish-are-now-moving-temperate-kelp-forests-dire-consequences

https://phys.org/news/2019-11-tropical-fish-shredding-kelp-forests.html

Do you think the rabbitfish will ruin the Kelp Forests? Let me know your thoughts in the Speak Up For Blue Facebook Group: http://www.speakuforblue.com/group.

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Kelp habitat is one of the riches and most diverse habitats in the Ocean. It's why most governments will do their best to protect them. Scotland is one of those countries. It anyone in Scotland wants to get a permit to use kelp in their business, they would only be able to cut the tops to allow for regrowth. That makes sense...it's sustainable.

However, there is a company called Marine Biopolymers, a biochemical company, that would like to dredge swaths of kelp beds for its own use. Not very sustainable. 

I don't really understand why the company would choose to dredge the kelp forests when they could farm it. 

Check out the episode to find out more.

Source

Enjoy the Podcast!!!

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