Squaxin Island Tribe, state work to conserve kelp

The Squaxin Island kelp bed is the last major kelp bed in South Puget Sound and has declined 97% since 2013, according to the state Department of Natural Resources.

The Squaxin Island Tribe and DNR plan to conserve the kelp bed and create a "priority habitat zone" to protect and restore the bed, according to a DNR news release.

"Squaxin people have been stewarding these waters and lands for thousands of years. Kelp beds have also been stewarding these waters for thousands of years, providing nourishment and a critical ecosystem for the many plants, animals, and fish of the Salish Sea. Sadly, we have witnessed a decline of the kelp beds in recent years, and we recognize how important it is to protect this critical resource. Squaxins can't do it alone; it takes us all coming together as partners. That is why this local inter-governmental agreement is so important and monumental," Squaxin Island Tribe Chairman Kris Peters said at an event announcing the partnership July 22.

The bull kelp forest at Squaxin Island is the innermost forest ever observed in Puget Sound, according to DNR documents.

Between 2013 and 2022, the kelp decreased from 9 hectares to a fraction of a hectare, according to the document.

"The declines at Squaxin are the latest in a multi-decadal pattern of losses throughout South and Central Puget Sound. Dramatic losses in these areas contrast

starkly with a general pattern of persistence along shorelines in Washington state that are closer to oceanic influence," the document states.

Some possible causes for the loss include water quality degradation, suggested by high turbidity in the area, nonnative alga wireweed replacing the kelp, destructive kelp crabs and elevated water temperatures, the DNR said.

Under the new partnership, the DNR and Squaxin Island Tribe will explore how to reduce and manage these stressors to help the kelp recover.

The DNR plans on withdrawing state-owned aquatic bedlands surrounding the kelp bed from leasing "incompatible with kelp health and conservation," according to a signed letter of intent between the tribe and DNR.

The DNR will also seek funding to continue monitoring and research of the bed, according to the letter.

The tribe will protect kelp and bedlands on tribal land and both parties will "pursue opportunities to restore native bull kelp or other marine vegetation where appropriate, seeking relevant technical expertise from third parties if required," the letter states.

The Squaxin Island kelp bed is the first priority habitat under the Statewide Kelp and Eelgrass Health and Conservation Plan.

Legislation passed in 2022 directed DNR to develop the plan "with the goal to conserve and restore at least 10 thousand acres of kelp forest and eelgrass meadow habitat by 2040," according to Senate Bill 5619.

Kelp and eelgrass provide critical habitat for a variety of marine life, including salmon, and support economically important fisheries including crab and shellfish, the DNR said.

"This isn't just about producing seed and growing kelp off Squaxin Island. It's about creating the conditions here in the South Sound in which kelp forests can grow and thrive. That's the much bigger endeavor. We are absolutely committed to working with the Department of Natural Resources, the Squaxin Island Tribe and other partners to help restore healthy marine waters and a thriving kelp forest off Squaxin Island," Betsy Peabody, founder of Puget Sound Restoration Fund, said at the event.