Sea otters rest by wrapping themselves in kelp to keep from drifting away.

On the rocks where the holdfasts secure kelp fronds to the bottom live many invertebrates including abalone, sea urchins and sea stars.

In the last few decades, 40 percent of our world’s kelp forests have declined and some of them have disappeared completely.

In ideal conditions, giant kelp can grow up to 18 inches per day.

Some seaweeds are microscopic, such as the phytoplankton that live suspended in the water column and provide the base for most marine food chains, and some are enormous, like the giant kelp that grow in abundant “forests” and tower like underwater redwoods from their roots at the bottom of the sea.

National marine sanctuaries are protected waters that include habitats such as rocky reefs, kelp forests, deep-sea canyons, and underwater archaeological sites.

Please drive slowly near sensitive habitats such as kelp forests and bird rookeries to minimize disturbance.

Do people from your country eat kelp?

Storms and large weather events, like the El Nino, can tear and dislodgethe kelp, leaving a tattered winter forest to begin its growth again each spring.

The sea otter swam through the kelp forest.