Kelp Forest

Scotlands Living Landscapes

• Foreword
• Introduction
• What is kelp and where is it found?
• Why kelp forests are important in Scottish coastal waters
• Scottish kelp plants
• Light – the critical factor
• Oarweed forests
• Cuvie forests
• Kelp parks
• Beyond the kelp zone
• Kelp productivity
• Uses of Kelp
• Kelp harvesting
• Afterword

Introduction

A HIDDEN RESOURCE

Walk down to the seaward edge of a rocky shore in Scotland at low tide on a bright, calm day and you will see the stalks (or ‘stipes’) of kelp plants sticking out of the sea, brown and glistening in the gently moving water. The stipes will be bent over by the fronds (or ‘blades’) of the plants, themselves occasionally visible between the waves.

If the tide is low enough, and the water calm enough, you may glimpse some of the animals and plants which live on and between the kelp plants in the shallows. You will see tiny jewel-like limpets, brightly coloured anemones, spiny sea urchins, darting fish, and delicate red seaweeds.

This is the upper fringe of the vast kelp forest, a diverse community of plants and animals which extends from the lower shore down into the sea, sometimes to depths of greater than 20m and exceptionally to 40m+ and extending up to 5 km offshore where there is a gently shelving sea bed. Kelp forests are biologically rich, are relatively accessible to study, and yet many of their secrets remain undiscovered. Kelp forests occur extensively in coastal waters and not only form an important part of Scotland’s natural heritage, but have also provided an important economic resource in the past, particularly in the Highlands and the Islands, and continue to do so to this day. Cast kelp, or ‘tangle’ is still collected for fertilising machair, and for industrial processing.