Community Update

The UBC Kelp Project at Lynn Creek Estuary began with an exciting opportunity to establish bull kelp on completely new reef substrate, made possible through work at Neptune’s primary potash berth. Researchers anticipated challenges from the river’s freshwater outflow, including pulses of low salinity and sediment, and spent several years developing methods suited to these conditions.

In December 2025, the UBC team completed its first outplanting of bull kelp in its microscopic stage. Slightly larger kelp was then added in April 2026, and researchers soon observed baby sugar kelp and bull kelp growing successfully together. By May of this year, the bull kelp had matured and begun reproducing. With evidence that kelp can thrive at Lynn Creek, the team is now developing methods to scale up restoration and create stronger ways to attach kelp in the powerful currents of the Second Narrows.

The project, with funding from Neptune, is led by Dr. Patrick Martone, Professor of Botany at UBC, and ultimately aims to establish a self-sustaining kelp forest. “Bull kelp provides a critical three-dimensional habitat for many animals including juvenile salmon, crabs, and sea stars, and as food, kelp supports the broader ecosystem,” says Dr. Martone. Field Coordinator and Dive Technician Rebecca Hansen summarized the work. “Basically we are creating a forest, with upward supports for the ecosystem, rather than a field.” Ongoing monitoring will determine whether the kelp survives and reproduces over multiple generations. The team is also collaborating with the Tsleil-Waututh Nation through knowledge sharing and its own community restoration activities, including successful bull kelp renewal along the Nation’s shoreline.