Grant: CCI Applied Research and Development Grants

NSERC funding will support North Island College (NIC) to create kelp habitat at test sites around Vancouver Island, BC, in partnership with M.C. Wright and Associates (MCWA), BC Timber Sales (BCTS), Ditidaht First Nation (DFN), and Penelakut Tribe (PT). Companies and coastal communities are increasingly recognizing the value and opportunities that kelp habitat provides – for example increasing fish habitat and subsequent fisheries landings, providing carbon credit opportunities, and serving as habitat banks to compensate for industrial activity (e.g. logging). The global value of kelp ecosystems was recently estimated at US$500 billion annually. Despite the clear benefits of kelp along our coastlines, there remain fundamental research questions on how to create lasting, cost-effective kelp habitat. The goal of the 3-year project is to create kelp habitat, measure its impact on biodiversity and carbon sequestration, and provide insights for partners around carbon credit opportunities. Kelp will be planted at the research sites using ‘green gravel,’ an innovative and new nature-based kelp restoration technique where kelp is seeded on rocks in the laboratory and then out-planted into the ocean. Researchers will optimize green gravel parameters and measure biodiversity throughout the project using underwater video observations and environmental DNA analysis. Researchers will also test marine sediment for kelp DNA to fill in key knowledge gaps concerning kelp’s blue carbon. The project will create habitat banks which are part of a multi-billion-dollar global industry used by the BC forestry sector and many other industries. The project will also expand MCWA’s service offerings and client base and deliver on environmental restoration goals of DFN and PT Stewardship programs. Project partners will benefit from NIC’s extensive experience and leadership in the seaweed sector, and from students who will receive exemplary training opportunities while working on the research team. This project provides economic, social and environmental impacts for project partners and for Canada. Kelp habitat strengthens Canada’s resilience to climate change by fostering biodiversity, buffering our shores against storm activity and ocean acidification, and contributing to blue carbon storage. All Canadians benefit from kelp forest ecosystems along our three coastlines that are a critical component of Canada’s blue economy future.