This summer Kelp Kulture is organizing a group of talks centered on Aquaculture/Mariculture of seaweeds. Our group of distinguished speakers come form various backgrounds not limited to: kelp farming, laboratory experimentation, open ocean farming, bi-valve/multi species mariculture and more! We hope to see you there!

A Site for Sori:

Utilizing Novel Aquaculture Techniques to test Bull Kelp (Nereocystis Luetkeana) Restoration techniques in a Northern California Sea Urchin Barren

May 23rd, 1-2 pm (PST)

Andrew Kim Lead Aquaculture Research Technician, Moss Landing Marine Labs

Given dramatic declines in bull kelp forests in northern California, restoration techniques such as “green gravel” or spore enhancement have been identified as potential solutions, however, the efficacy of these techniques remain largely untested. Novel laboratory techniques were developed and paired with a field study that was conducted between Summer 2021 and Fall 2022 to test a variety of restoration techniques at a site in Albion Cove in Mendocino County, CA. This talk will provide some context and discuss some of the challenges, failures and successes of our restoration work on the north coast.

Al Little Farther West

A Case for Restorative Ocean Farming in California

June 13th, 1-2 pm (PST)

Leslie Booher is the co-founder of Sunken Seaweed, a macroalgae farm based in San Diego and Humboldt, California.

A born and raised Californian, Leslie has been involved with ocean conservation for most of her life. She received her Bachelor of Science degree in 2015 from Cal Poly Humboldt, where she focused on marine ecology. Today she is proudly farming various seaweeds with her husband, Torre, mentoring budding aquaculturists, and enjoying motherhood with her 10 month old baby. 

We are excited to resume the Kelp Kulture speaker series this winter focusing on the cultural importance of kelp forests.

Sea Otters In Oregon, Road to Return

February 7th, 6-7 p.m. PST

Bob Bailey, President of Elakha Alliance

Explore the history of sea otters in Oregon, their ecological and cultural importance, and the prospects for their return and recovery.  This talk will touch on the mission of the Elakha Alliance, an Oregon non-profit organization devoted to sea otter conservation.

How Kelp Works: The Social Life of Underwater Forests

March 2nd, 1-2 p.m. PST

David Stentiford is a doctoral candidate in the Program in Modern Thought and Literature at Stanford University. His dissertation historicizes the domestication of the Earth’s oceans in the twentieth century by examining the intellectual history of “marine farms” after World War II and their experimental development in the 1970s. At the core of his archival work is a case study on open-ocean kelp farming experiments in California in the 70s and 80s for food, energy, and the mitigation of global warming. The farms sank but the ideas float on.

Yake Hintil Ma’a Kaieeholo (taqhohai) and Toon’o:

Food Sovereignty: We Still Gather Our Indian Foods of Kelp and Seaweed

March 20th, 1- 2 p.m. PST

Lori Laiwa Thomas, (Enrolled Hopland Band of Pomo Indians, Descendant of Coast Miwok and Huchnom), Native American Studies Instructor-Tenure Track, Santa Rosa Junior College Department of Ethnic Studies, Laiwa Thomas is a traditional food expert indigenous to the coastal region of the North Central California coast.

This lecture/discussion will center on the importance of traditional foods within California, especially the Boya Pomo coastal community where she was raised on her father’s reservation located three miles from the Pacific Ocean. Laiwa Thomas will discuss food sovereignty, challenges and limitations to gathering/harvesting, future plans for harvesting kelp and seaweed, and share stories which connect current day Boya/Pdahau people with specific places along the north central coast. 

April 2023

tbd.