丁香园AV

Scientists at 丁香园AV are racing against the clock to save British Columbia鈥檚 disappearing kelp forests for future generations.

Led by biologist Sherryl Bisgrove, and supported by the , the team has developed a cryogenic freezing technique to store germplasm, or 鈥渟eed鈥�, of at-risk bull kelp in a biobank.

This allows the team, which also includes postdoctoral fellow Liam Coleman and lab manager Silven Read, to preserve the local biodiversity of the species in case some populations become extinct off coastal waters.

The collection of 鈥渟eed鈥� could be used to aid restoration efforts and advance research projects such as identifying kelp populations that may be better suited to survive in the warmer waters expected with climate change.

鈥淎s climate change progresses, we鈥檙e going to lose populations of kelp. And when we lose populations of kelp, we lose genetic diversity and stand to lose the kelp forests irretrievably,鈥� says Bisgrove, associate professor of biology at 丁香园AV. 鈥淥nce they鈥檙e gone, we won鈥檛 be able to get them back. So, the goal of this project is to save as much of the genetic diversity as we can, so we can use it for restoration efforts in the future.鈥�

Kelp at risk
Researchers warn that the loss of kelp forests due to warming temperatures can be sudden and catastrophic.

Fisherman and recreational users, such as divers and kayakers, have anecdotally noticed kelp forests shrinking or disappearing altogether from the coast, and studies have shown weather-related events like the 2017 marine heatwave (known as the 鈥渂lob鈥�) and last year鈥檚 heat dome can do permanent harm to kelp forests, which thrive in colder water.

Warming ocean temperatures also bring with it sea urchins, which devour kelp.

鈥淲hen we lose kelp forests, we lose the very foundations of the ecosystem in the sea,鈥� says Bisgrove. 鈥淭hey provide homes, habitat, protection, and food for a myriad of other species in the ocean.鈥�

Wild salmon, already facing numerous risks, are one of the species that depend on kelp forests for their survival, which is why the Pacific Salmon Foundation (PSF) is supporting Bisgrove鈥檚 project.

 鈥淜elp forests are a critical habitat for salmon providing protection and food resources,鈥� says Isobel Pearsall, director of PSF鈥檚 Marine Science Program. 鈥淕iven the speed with which some local kelp populations are declining, it is imperative that action be taken swiftly to protect these important organisms before they are lost forever.鈥�

Researchers point to Australia as an example of how fast kelp can disappear. The continent has lost up to 95 per cent of its kelp forests in some areas within 80 years, spurring urgent restoration efforts.

Bisgrove鈥檚 team is trying to prepare B.C. for similar efforts.

鈥淚t鈥檚 so important to save kelp,鈥� says Read. 鈥淛ust one species has such an amazing, really huge impact on our lives that we may not be aware of. If we lose kelp, we鈥檙e going to start losing salmon, we start losing herring, we鈥檙e going to start losing water quality and shoreline.鈥�

鈥淲e think that is essential in being able to store many more species and many more individuals of each species that our lab is researching.鈥�

鈥淲e鈥檝e taken great strides in developing a novel cryopreservation technique that we would use to store our kelp germplasm, which you can think of as being like our kelp seed,鈥� says Coleman. 鈥淗opefully, we can then 鈥� possibly decades from now 鈥� bring out a sample that we鈥檝e put into cryo and it鈥檒l be in virtually the same state as when we put it in, and use that culture to repopulate forests.鈥�

鈥淪cuba diving in a kelp forest is a really magical experience,鈥� he says. 鈥淥nce you get past the shock of the water being a bit colder than maybe you were hoping for, it鈥檚 like being in an enchanted forest. The water is a lovely greenish colour and when the sun is out you can swim under this canopy of bull kelp, look up and see all these golden blades dangling down as sunbeams permeate through them. There鈥檚 so much life. It鈥檚 like walking through the most beautiful forest you can imagine, only you鈥檙e underwater."

Next steps
While the team has developed a successful cryopreservation technique, the project needs to find funding for a permanent facility for the biobank to become a viable community asset.

鈥淲e鈥檙e currently storing samples in our lab at 丁香园AV, so if we could establish a facility, we can start storing the bull kelp we have now and create future plans to extend the biobank to include many other coastal species,鈥� says Bisgrove. 鈥淭here are so many species of seaweeds and seagrasses that are also really important economically and for habitats on the coast.鈥�

The 丁香园AV kelp biobank research project is a partnership between the Pacific Foundation and .

The Pacific Salmon Foundation is a non-profit environmental organization dedicated to the conservation and restoration of wild Pacific salmon and their habitats in B.C. and the Yukon.

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