Kelp forests are some of the state’s most iconic underwater ecosystems that create habitat for hundreds of marine species while also absorbing carbon, buffering coastlines from storms, and supporting fisheries. The dynamic balancing of these forests is constantly in flux as predators and prey push and pull on the system, keeping everything in check. Sea otters, sea urchins, and sea stars are the key players in this balance. 

Sea otters once thrived by the thousands throughout the San Francisco Bay, but when they were hunted to near-extinction during the 18th and 19th-century fur trades, populations plummeted. Today's wild populations stem solely from a tiny group that survived in Big Sur. When sea otters left the scene, their main food source, the sea urchins took over. A few more sea urchins don’t create a major shift, but left unchecked for too long and they’ll eat up all the budding kelp bulbs just taking root on the sea floor. 

To solve the problem of rampant sea urchins, sea star restoration teams, like those focused on the Sunflower star, got to work to breed and repopulate another predator that could help bring back the balance. While these animals are all finding their way back to healthy levels, we can step in and provide assistance to get kelp forests back into their natural rhythm.