Hungry? Try some bull kelp!

Paddling west off San Juan Island there are many places where the current picks up speed and covers the shallow rocky coast with fast moving water. Where those conditions occur is a prime place for bull kelp to take hold and develop. Bull kelp is an incredible organism known for its amazing growth-- 6 to 12 inches a day! Each stipe is attached to the ocean floor by a holdfast, and then grows up towards the surface. As they develop they twist and tangle together creating a complex underwater forest that becomes home and haven for many critters.

Sea urchins slowly move about the rocky bottom chewing away at the holdfasts while crabs can climb up towards the top looking for their meals. Schools of fish dart through, not seeing the great blue heron that perches silently above. Harbor seals find sections of fast moving water and ride the surface currents on their backs and can haul out on top of the floating tubes to rest in the sun. Even whales will check out the kelp beds! Gray whales can enter a forest to escape from predators (transient killer whales) or look for invertebrates, while some killer whales have been seen spinning through the kelp beds. Why? Researchers aren't sure exactly, but guess those whales must like the sensation-- kind of like a car wash for whales!

Bull kelp is an incredibly important organism for the ecosystem in the Puget Sound but did you know humans use this kelp too? All over the west coast of North America bull kelp is harvested for use-- pharmaceuticals use it for chemical extraction, commercial companies turn it into a food additive, the dried stipe can be woven into baskets, and some crazy people eat it raw! Yep, the fronds are pretty tasty and paddling out here in the San Juans there are ample places to grab a bite. Talk about local organic food!

Here's a photo I snapped of two wonderful paddlers trying their first taste of bull kelp---mmmm!