08/03/2026
Jump on in! Our scientific diving partners at USC recently conducted a collection dive at the North Channel Islands to gather kelp samples. The parts of the kelp that are being collected are sorus tissue, which is a part of the kelp’s blade where the reproductive tissue is.
From this reproductive kelp tissue, we will be able to collect their seeds. These seeds will then be processed, categorized, and preserved by our collection curator, Michael Marty-Rivera. They will then join a growing collection of seaweed specimens in our biobank.
Kelp Ark is a nonprofit organization that is dedicated to the preservation of our ocean’s algae. What we are doing now is all part of a greater effort to help protect the future of kelp forests. Some of the animals you will see in this video rely on kelp forests for shelter, food, and a place to have offspring.
There is an incoming Super El Niño that will threaten the health of these marine environments, so we are doing everything we can to act now and protect these unique ecosystems.
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