(Mar 11, 2025)
Hayden Schneider (shown with a sea urchin) works for the Kelp Ark, a nonprofit organization founded by its CEO, Sergey Nuzhdin, to develop and maintain seed banks for kelp forests along the Pacific coast. Kelp forests are a fast-growing form of brown algae that provide food and habitat for hundreds of ocean species and absorb greenhouse gases, but they are very sensitive to environmental changes including nutrients and pollutants. They are an important sentinel species indicating how our coastal ecosystems are thriving.
January’s Palisades and Eaton fires burned 40,000 acres and 12,000 buildings, and drained tons of toxic residue into the ocean. Kelp is one of the first species to show how sea life responds to such a huge amount of toxicity. Previous coastal wildfires were much smaller and burned mostly brush and other organic material, but satellite data shows that kelp beds often take years to recover. The after-effects of the recent fires are likely to be much worse.
Kelp Ark specializes in acquiring, authenticating and distributing natural forms of algae from around the world, to support biodiversity preservation through seed banking and genetic preservation. This can provide sustainable solutions for effects of climate change and supporting aquafarming. They are accumulating a rich repository of genetic variants and enabling scientific macroalgal research in coordination with other academic institutions. They also empower students in underprivileged communities by education and practical on-boat experience to support their appreciation of natural resources and to stimulate career interests.
Kelp Ark collaborates with education programs led by AltaSea in San Pedro, and takes its trainees to an offshore aquaculture farm. Kelp Ark is located at 2451 Signal Street in San Pedro, https://kelpark.org/.