Kelp Monitoring

The Nearshore Habitat Program has monitored changes in the areal extent of kelp canopies along the outer coast and the Strait of Juan de Fuca since 1989. Two species of canopy-forming kelp are monitored: Bull kelp (Nereocystis luetkeana) and giant kelp (Macrocystic integrifolia). Results can be viewed or downloaded at:
Download GIS Data - Annual kelp inventories on the outer coast and Strait of Juan de Fuca from 1989 to 2014 (44.7 MB .zip file).
Explore the kelp data interactively with the Washington Marine Spatial Planning mapping application.
Read the most recent annual monitoring report.
Find more inventory datasets for kelp and other nearshore habitats.