Understanding the Dynamics of Kelp Forest Recovery from Fishing

Abstract

Photo 1. Kelp forests provide numerous ecosystem services, including support for economically important fishery species. In southern California, USA, including the Channel Islands shown in the background above, kelp forests provide habitat for the spiny lobster Panulirus interruptus, which is the focus of a trap-based fishery. Photo credit: Robert Dunn. Photo 2. Herbivores can overgraze macroalgae on rocky reefs, leading to a transition from kelp forest to urchin barren. Here, a research diver surveys densities of purple and red sea urchins (Strongylocentrotus purpuratus and Mesocentrotus franciscanus, respectively) in a barren habitat at Santa Barbara Island, California, USA. In some cases, urchin barrens can form due to overharvest of kelp forest predators. Red urchins are themselves the focus of a targeted fishery, but urchins from barrens are typically not harvested due to their low gonad mass. Photo credit: Robert Dunn. Photo 3. When rocky reef fisheries are effectively managed, kelp forests can, in many instances, recover to their macroalgal-dominated state. Photo credit: Robert Dunn. These photographs illustrate the article “Transient dynamics during kelp forest recovery from fishing across multiple trophic levels” by Robert P. Dunn, Jameal F. Samhouri, and Marissa L. Baskett published in Ecological Applications. https://doi.org/10.1002/eap.2367.