Puget Sound Kelp Conservation and Recovery Plan
Kelp forests are under threat from human and climate-induced stressors. The Puget Sound Kelp Conservation and Recovery Plan (Kelp Plan) is a call to action and provides a collaboratively developed framework of policy and research-oriented goals and actions to revitalize kelp forests in Puget Sound. The plan provides an overview of kelp biology, distribution, trends, stressors, ecosystem roles, cultural values, and the management framework for kelp. Although much progress has been made, continued engagement, capacity, funding, and collaboration are urgently needed to ensure healthy, resilient kelp forests that sustain marine ecosystems, cultural traditions, and communities across the Salish Sea.
Explore below to read through the Kelp Plan and related materials or to learn about kelp, kelp updates/events, and how to help the kelp!
- Appendix A: Kelp Knowledge Review
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Read about kelp biology, distribution, trends, stressors, ecosystem roles, and more!
- Appendix B: Cultural Importance of Kelp for Pacific NW Tribes
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Read about the historical and cultural value of kelp to many Pacific NW Tribes, from traditional subsistence practices to symbolic uses.
- Appendix C: Workshop Notes
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Read notes and identified knowledge gaps from past workshops used to develop the Kelp Plan.
- Executive Summary
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A high-level overview of the Kelp Plan.
Dive into different sections of the Kelp Plan in the menu above. Click the “+” icon on the right side of each blue bar to preview its contents and to access the link.
Upcoming Events
- Kelp Research and Monitoring Workgroup will meet Oct 28, 2026. To join the workgroup mailing list or to get more information, contact: nearshore@dnr.wa.gov
- WDFW and partners are holding eight in person workshops from May to October throughout Puget Sound, to better understand human-kelp relationships in Puget Sound. Visit their website to learn more and register.
Kelp Updates
- Check out the NEW draft Living Kelp Plan (shown below), a tool to explore, track, and learn about the Kelp Plan. Help shape the Living Kelp Plan by providing comments in this survey.
- New Paper: Severity and certainty metric for kelp stressors: A tool for research, management, and conservation.
Supporting Materials
Additional Resources
- LEARN ABOUT KELP
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- Visual overview of Puget Sound kelp – PSRF’s Kelp Expedition StoryMap
- A decade of disappearance: bull kelp in the San Juan Islands – Samish Indian Nation’s StoryMap
- Why kelp matters – Jeff Ward, Science for Everybody
- Above/Below (30 page webstory) – The Mysterious World of Bull Kelp: Exploring the kelp forests of the North Pacific Coast
- WDNR Kelp harvest rules and recommendations – WA recreational kelp harvesting guidelines and information
- Trends in WA floating kelp (map) – WDNR’s Floating Kelp Indicator
- Locations of WA floating kelp (map) – WDNR's Floating Kelp Linear Extent Viewer
- GET INVOLVED IN KELP
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- Volunteer – Join the transboundary Kelp Node working groups
- Volunteer – SCUBA kelp monitoring with Reef Check
- Volunteer – Kayak kelp monitoring with your local Marine Resources Committee or Vashon Nature Center
- Volunteer – Help the Seattle Aquarium ID kelp in Kelp Quest
- Volunteer – Report bull kelp to PSRF through Kelp Spot
- Learn and educate – NOAA’s Kelp Forest Ecosystems Resource Collection
- Other ideas – Puget Sound Restoration Fund's "How you Can Help" infographic
THE UNDER STORY
The Under Story is all about kelp and the Puget Sound Kelp Conservation and Recovery Plan (Kelp Plan)! Explore kelp, its vital role in our ecosystem, and efforts to protect Puget Sound kelp forests in this series of short slideshows. Visit The Under Story. to view the entire series.
Photo Credits. Hero/Banner image: Florian Graner; Kelp Plan image: Eiko Jones Photography; Policy Group image: Adam Obaza; WA Kelp Project Inventory image: Alisa Taylor; Kelp Plan Status Update image: Florian Graner; Kelp Funding Landscape image: Jeff Whitty; Guide to Strategic Plan image: Adam Obaza