Where did the LJ kelp bed go?

[Goose1993]

A lot of times the wind and current pushes it diagonal with the surface so you can't see it. You will see it however if you have a fish finder or drop your sabiki down deep and get snagged whenever you drift 5 feet.

Kelp grows fast, so it breaks off fast too. Maybe a lot of it broke off and drifted away, and the wind pushed it down.

The only other thing I could think of it the kelp harvester boats just cleaned the area out.

[Jim Sammons LJKF]

Originally Posted by Goose1993

A lot of times the wind and current pushes it diagonal with the surface so you can't see it. You will see it however if you have a fish finder or drop your sabiki down deep and get snagged whenever you drift 5 feet.

Kelp grows fast, so it breaks off fast too. Maybe a lot of it broke off and drifted away, and the wind pushed it down.

The only other thing I could think of it the kelp harvester boats just cleaned the area out.

We no longer have the kelp harvest boats here, Kelpco left many years ago. Current pushes the kelp down and we do in fact have much less kelp right now than normal because of the warm water. Kelp does best in cold water and warm water weakens it so it breaks off much easier. Also grows slower in the warm water.

[Sdspeed]

Originally Posted by Jim Sammons LJKF

We no longer have the kelp harvest boats here, Kelpco left many years ago. Current pushes the kelp down and we do in fact have much less kelp right now than normal because of the warm water. Kelp does best in cold water and warm water weakens it so it breaks off much easier. Also grows slower in the warm water.

Jim's right, we lost them in 2005 when they moved their entire San Diego operation to the exisiting faccility they have in Scotland. In 2005 they said it cost them 1/20th the cost to harvest and process in Scotland vs. San Diego.

[GregAndrew]

The reason the kelp does not fare well in the warm water is that the animals and other plants that eat it thrive in the warm water.

[Mahigeer]

There is no kelp left at the Cabrillo Mole in Catalina either.

It has to do with the current higher temperature of the water.

Kelp grows very fast, so even if the tops were gone, it could grow back.

The warmer temp must weaken the hold fast that kelp uses to stick itself to the rocks.

Also the sea urchins can devastate a kelp forest. Lobsters keep them in check.

[Zed]

Sheephead keep them in check. A lobster can do nothing to an urchin.

[kareem korn]

Above 75 deg and it starts to die off. We lost more than half of our kelps in Carlsbad. Too bad because it took over 10 years to get some of it back.

[acorad]

I asked the same thing about my fave 'Bu kelp bed, I was told the kelps don't like the warmer water of the el Nino.

Andy

[Zed]

Most beds are at 33% or less compared to boom seasons. Dana and SanO can be fished as you want w flyline now. It comes and goes. Its not the end of the world. A lot of my marks were made in past warmwater years and can only be fished in those years. I like it better. The pothole posse has no skill.

On KelCo. If you newbies think the lobster season adds too much kelp debris to the water, fishing on a kelp harvest days made trolling unmanageable. Fishing Blacks or Tourmaline was a good option on those days. KelCo is gone but so is Blacks and Tourmaline.