Innovative project aims to safeguard UK's kelp from potential decline

Seafood

United Kingdom

Sustainability & Environmental Impact

Innovation & Technology

Published Feb 9, 2024

Tridge summary

A unique project to protect native kelp populations in the UK is being undertaken by scientists at the Marine Biological Association and Newcastle University. They are using a restoration tool called 'green gravel', which involves extracting kelp spores, seeding them onto local gravel in a lab, and then planting them out at sea once they have grown sufficiently. The project is funded by the Marine Management Organisation, Fishmongers’ Company’s Fisheries Charitable Trust, and Newcastle University.

Disclaimer: The above summary was generated by a state-of-the-art LLM model and is intended for informational purposes only. It is recommended that readers refer to the original article for more context.

Original content

Innovative project aims to safeguard British kelp from potential decline. Kelp forests play a crucial role in marine ecosystems by providing habitat and food for a diverse range of marine species. However, various factors such as climate change, pollution, and overfishing have led to a decline in kelp populations across the world, posing a significant threat to the health of coastal ecosystems. Scientists at the Marine Biological Association (MBA) and Newcastle University have embarked on a ground-breaking project to protect native kelp populations in the UK. ‘Green gravel’, a pioneering restoration tool to combat kelp forest decline is being used in the UK on four species of native kelp. Kelp spores are extracted from coastal locations in Devon and Teeside and then ‘seeded’ onto local gravel (substrates) in a lab, allowing the kelp to grow under optimal conditions. Once kelp plants have grown large enough (1cm long), the gravel and kelp will be planted out at sea. This technique ...

Source: Fish Focus