For most of us, our underwater forests are hidden from view - only at very low spring tides can you catch a rare glimpse into these rich and fascinating habitats. Like rainforests and woodlands on land, they provide food and shelter for many inhabitants.
kelp facts
- Kelp is a general term used to describe large brown seaweeds, the "Laminariales", Sugar kelp Laminaria saccharina, furbellows Saccorhiza polyschides, Dabberlocks Alaria esculenta, tangle or oarweed Laminaria digitata and rough kelp or cuvie Laminaria hyperborea are the most common UK and North Atlantic species. They are all frequently exposed at very low spring tides when their large fronds can be seen just above the water's surface.
- After storms, tonnes of kelp mixed with other weeds may wash on to the shore, providing food and shelter for invertebrates and birds - kelp is almost as important when decomposing as when alive!
- Rather than a trunk, kelps have a strong but flexible stipe, which allows each kelp plant to sway with waves and currents without breaking. Kelps have large fronds which provide the canopy layer of the kelp forest, just like the tops of tall trees.
- The "roots" of the kelp are known as the "holdfast" - this serves to anchor the kelp plant to the seafloor, and doesn't take up nutrients from the seabed. Holdfasts often wash up on beaches, where they look skeletal, almost animal-like.
 | Like any forest, several layers can be easily recognised in a kelp forest. |
threats
Seaweed harvesting in large quantities may have significant local ecological effects. removing food and shelter for large numbers of animals and seaweeds which in turn affects. for example. black guillemots which feed extensively on butterfish and gobies that favour kelp dominated shores.
what you can do:
- Leave washed up kelp and other seaweeds on the strandline
- Do not pull up live kelp and seaweeds
- Join the Marine Conservation Society and support our work to promote sustainable marine resource management
Removing seaweed can also increase erosion along the shore. Kelp acts as a natural sea defence, absorbing and dissipating wave energy so effectively that trials have been carried out with artificial seaweed anchored close inshore to minimise erosive power of incoming waves. The Coast Protection Act (1949) prevents the removal of seaweed if it is protecting the beach.
Coastal development may cause an increase in the amount of run off of fine silts and muds. This will increase the turbidity of the water, affecting the amount of light entering the water and restricting the growth of kelp. Offshore dredging may have the same effect.
Factsheets & books about kelp can be ordered from the MCS shop
