<
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2024-03-26/back-roads-tasman-peninsula-giant-kelp-forest-restoration/103560140>
'Tucked away in a picturesque bay on the south-eastern tip of Tasmania is a
precious underwater field of dreams.
Here, giant kelp has been painstakingly grown by hand, and there are now high
hopes that one day, as a result of this effort, Tasmania's kelp forests will
once again flourish.
The bay is the site of a restoration project that aims to regrow the unique
seaweed species that once grew so densely here, that it was difficult for
fishers to navigate through.
In an effort to protect the fragile nature of the site, the ABC is not
identifying its exact location.
Conservationist and citizen scientist Mick Baron has been a dive instructor in
this part of Tasmania since 1991 and has witnessed the decline of these kelp
forests.
Around 1996, he participated in a documentary showcasing the kelp, but within
two years the kelp forests had gone.
"We thought, 'It'll come back,' but it didn't," Mick says.
"North to south, it's all gone.
"It was pretty distressing to see what was happening."
According to Scott Bennett, a marine scientist with the Institute of Marine and
Antarctic Studies (IMAS), there's one main cause behind the kelp dieback.
"Fairly and squarely, [it's] climate change," he says.
Mick explained that global warming has had a devastating impact on the giant
kelp, as well as overgrazing from sea urchins and damage from recreational
fishing.
"I knew from the beginning what it was; warmer water, lack of nutrients, [and
the] East Australian Current strengthening," he says.'
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
