| Newsletter Stories, Student News

Diving into Kelp Conservation and Research

By Taylor Hughes, Class of 2025

A few days in the Pacific Northwest is enough to see that salmon and orcas are the region’s lifeblood. These species elicit deep emotional responses that tie people to this place and make marine resource management a dinner-table topic. Historically, seaweed has not topped the list of priorities for marine conservation, despite playing a significant ecological role in supporting economically and culturally important species. I began graduate studies at the School of Marine and Environmental Affairs (SMEA) expressly to learn research and policy skills to apply to the management and conservation of kelp forest ecosystems. 

Dr. Tom Mumford points out the features of an articulated red alga to student Taylor Hughes on a sunny day at Lopez Island, WA.
Dr. Tom Mumford, professor at Friday Harbor Laboratories, describes the features of an articulated red alga collected at Lopez Island, WA. Photo courtesy of Sarah Tanja, shared with permission.

The dominant canopy-forming kelp in Puget Sound is the bull kelp, Nereocystis luetkeana. Like salmon, shellfish, and timber, bull kelp is vitally important to the ecologies, economies, and communities of Puget Sound. However, bull kelp populations have experienced precipitous declines relative to historical baselines. My research under the supervision of Dr. Terrie Klinger seeks to contribute to the growing regional kelp conservation effort by testing how biotic factors affect bull kelp population dynamics.

My graduate career began the summer before joining the SMEA when I participated in the Marine Botany course at Friday Harbor Laboratories. We tramped and tripped across the intertidal zones of San Juan Island, WA, learning to identify various species of red, green, and brown algae, as well as their distribution, interactions, and ecological roles. In the lab, we meticulously studied seaweed physiology, sequenced DNA, and preserved specimens for herbarium collections. For my student research project, I tested how temperature affects the sex ratio of bull kelp and found significant differences in the maturation of females across the species’ thermal tolerance range. Beyond taking a deep dive into my passion topic, this experience provided invaluable connections and practical skills that set the stage for my graduate studies.

I present my research findings to kelp forest research and monitoring practitioners during the student poster session at the Western Society of Naturalists conference in November 2023. Photo courtesy of Dr. Olivia Graham, shared with permission.

My pre-graduate school research experience and research assistant position gave me the confidence and the opportunity to integrate into the regional kelp forest conservation community. In my first quarter, I had calls and personal meetings with over 15 local experts to learn the dynamics of kelp persistence and decline in Puget Sound, identify existing data sets, and get acquainted with the key people and places in this resource management system. I also presented my summer research at the Western Society of Naturalists conference in Monterey, CA, which provided a great chance to meet and reconnect with other marine ecologists.

These events had a cascading effect, leading to opportunities I never could have anticipated. For example, as a result of one of these fortuitous meetings, I was invited to join the Washington State Kelp Research and Monitoring Workgroup. I attend bi-weekly meetings for two key initiatives regarding subtidal and surface bull kelp forest monitoring efforts. This opportunity provides career training and development as I experience firsthand how resource managers collaborate and make decisions. Additionally, as a result of participating in these meetings and connecting with various collaborators, I was invited to contribute to a joint subtidal kelp forest research and monitoring effort between the Washington State Department of Natural Resources and Friday Harbor Laboratories where I serve as a Scientific Diver.

Like all scientific exploits, my research journey has had its ups and downs. After consulting with experts, reading extensively, and attempting to gather data from disparate sources, it became clear that it would not be feasible to address my initial research question within the scope of my degree. This winter, I returned to the drawing board to craft another proposal integrating my interests in community ecology with management challenges in the nearshore environment. After collaborating with my advisor and diving team, I planned and began to conduct a field experiment testing the impact of understory kelp on the growth and survival of juvenile bull kelp. This project excites me because it combines lab work, fieldwork, and data analysis to contribute to the growing knowledge base of local kelp forest dynamics.

Hughes gathers survey data along a subtidal transect via SCUBA.
I gather benthic survey data on macroalgae and invertebrates at a study site in Central Puget Sound. Photo courtesy of Kindall Murie, shared with permission.

Looking ahead, my summer will be just as varied as the rest of my time at the SMEA. I will serve as a teaching assistant for the Marine Conservation Ecology course at Friday Harbor Laboratories and continue to collect subtidal data for the regional monitoring effort and my thesis. I also plan to complete my first triathlon and circumnavigate Mt. Rainier on the Wonderland Trail. 

I am extremely grateful for the SMEA Research Assistantship during my first year, the academic supervision of Dr. Terrie Klinger (SMEA), Dr. Ryan Kelly (SMEA), Dr. Megan Dethier (FHL), Dr. Tom Mumford (FHL), and Dr. Helen Berry (WA DNR), as well as my diving team and friends and colleagues in the SMEA for their support and partnership in my research journey thus far.