Bull Kelp is the Best

On April 16th, 2025, WA Governor Ferguson signed HB 1631 into law, designating bull kelp as the official WA State Marine Forest. He also made April 16th Bull Kelp Day!

A ton of credit goes to the Seattle Aquarium for leading this effort, and for all the students, volunteers, and passionate humans who supported this bill along the way!

Bull kelp is vital to Washington's cultural and ecological landscape. Together with understory kelp, other floating kelps, and eelgrass meadows, bull kelp forests provide a mosaic of habitats that support the state's marine species like orcas, salmon, and rockfish by providing food and shelter. Bull kelp is also deeply entwined in Tribal heritage as it has offered abundant food, safe travel, and other resources for Tribal nations since time immemorial.

Despite its crucial role in our marine and coastal ecosystems, bull kelp has declined dramatically throughout south and central Puget Sound in recent years. The Washington State Legislature provided initial funding to implement priority actions identified in the Puget Sound Kelp Conservation and Recovery Plan during the 2021 and 2023 legislative sessions.

Continuing this work, the Washington State Department of Natural Resources established the Statewide Kelp and Eelgrass Health and Conservation Plan in 2023 to conserve and recover at least 10,000 acres of kelp forests and eelgrass meadows by 2040, driving collaborative efforts to preserve and restore our bull kelp forests on Washington's coast and in Puget Sound.

Conserving and recovering this vital species relies on the shared awareness that our bull kelp forests are critical to Washington’s identity, culture, and ecology. Huge shout-out to our partners and legislative champions who worked to designate bull kelp (Nereocystis luetkeana) as the official state marine forest.

You can read more about why bull kelp matters on our bull kelp blog post.