Historical analysis shows that the marine mammals likely kept some of California’s kelp forests growing over the past 100 years. By Laura Baisas Published Jan 23, 2024 12:00 PM EST Get the Popular ...

Researchers examining a century of ocean maps made an exciting discovery linking sea otter populations to kelp forests: Where sea otters thrive, so do these critical underwater habitats. The research ...

Adorably fuzzy sea otters aren’t just cute. The marine mammals serve a crucial role, helping to restore the giant kelp forests they rely on by removing their top predators, the sea urchins. When ...

SAUSALITO, California (KPIX) — The health of the ocean off the Northern California coast is in trouble, as biologists have seen a massive die-off of the kelp forests that are essential to a healthy ...

MONTEREY — Within the last century, the recovery of southern sea otters, the unofficial mascot of Central California, has contributed to the health of California’s underwater forests according to a ...

When sea otters were reintroduced along the coastlines of islands in Southern California and British Columbia, researchers saw kelp forests return to areas that were destroyed by sea urchins. But how ...

A southern sea otter (not Otter 841!) enjoys the seafood bounty among the kelp a few yards from West Cliff Drive, near Indicators Surf Break, in Santa Cruz. The Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary ...

When thinking about forests being endangered by human activity, most people would immediately think of the rainforest. Below the ocean surface, there’s another type of forest is in danger: the kelp ...

An otter is hopping on surfboards in Santa Cruz's storied Steamers Lane. Two years ago, a similar situation played out in ...

Kelp is a large, brown algae that lives in relatively shallow waters close to shore. They grow in large groups that resemble forests on land. These kelp forests are important because they contain a ...