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State, scientists and tribes map kelp recovery efforts as a Pacific 'blob' raises new concerns
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Summary
Officials reported early signs of kelp recovery in parts of central and southern California, described pilots to remove sea urchins and reintroduce sunflower sea stars, and warned that an ongoing North Pacific marine heat event (the 'blob') creates uncertainty for restoration scale-up and climate-ready interventions.
Jen Eckerley (Deputy Secretary for Oceans & Coastal Policy and acting executive director of the Ocean Protection Council) told the committee that kelp forests support biodiversity, fisheries and tribal cultural practices, and that recent state investments (about $11 million to date) have funded research, urchin removal and restoration pilots. She said preliminary 2025 satellite data suggests recovery in central and southern regions but that Northern California still faces large-scale losses.
Monica LaFleur (Ocean Science Trust) and Dr. Marissa Baskett (UC Davis) outlined science guidance for restoration under climate change: integrate community and tribal values into restoration goals, invest in long-term monitoring, and consider ‘‘climate-ready’’ interventions only with appropriate regulatory oversight and risk assessment.
Panelists described active pilot approaches — urchin removal by commercial divers, kelp outplanting, captive breeding of sunflower sea stars — but stressed the work will be resource intensive. Dr. Baskett noted refugia (deeper water and low-salinity river mouths) where kelp has persisted and urged targeted investments there.
Committee members asked whether restoration can be scaled and whether regulatory pathways permit experimental interventions; panelists said a portfolio approach — local refugia protection, targeted outplanting, predator reintroduction, and monitoring — will be needed alongside longer-term climate mitigation.
