There are two basic categories of kelp. One, called “canopy,” is the widely seen and better studied kelp that floats while its strands attach themselves to underwater rock. The other major category is “understory,” which is more abundant but much less understood than “canopy” kelp. Only shallow edges of understory kelp are visible at extreme low tides. The existing Puget Sound Kelp Conservation and Recovery Plan calls for more study of this variety.
Using historic records as a baseline, Puget Sound’s volume of kelp is 20% to 38% of what it was in the 1870s, depending on how the calculations are made. The Tacoma Narrows holds the biggest collection of
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