Giant Kelp Beyond the Breakers
Historic Cannery Row
Off the coast and beyond the breaking waves, giant kelp provides a lush home for marine life. Holding fast to the rocky bottom, these huge plants grow upward then spread their green-gold fronds across the water, creating a dense canopy of growth – much like a forest on land. In the spreading fronds at the surface, you might see a sea otter mom tending a pup, a seabird snacking on tiny animals or a sea lion gliding gracefully by.
Kelp forests have been important to humans for thousands of years – from the Rumsien people paddling their tule balsas in search of kelp forest fish, to the Spanish and Mexican fur traders hunting otters resting in the canopy, to divers and kayakers exploring this rich habitat.
Monterey Bay is now part of a federally protected marine area – the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary, which stretches from San Francisco to San Simeon. Designated in 1992, the sanctuary is one of the growing number of special underwater areas all over the world that are protected for their rich and diverse communities of marine life. Activities that could harm the sanctuary’s health – oil drilling and ocean dumping – are prohibited, while many others, like diving and fishing are allowed.
Marker can be reached from Cannery Row.
Courtesy hmdb.org
