Courses / Propagating Seedstring from Gametophytes

Course Content

Pre-Season Preparation
Pre-Season Preparation Cutting and Sanitizing Spools Winding Spools Tank and Water System Cleaning Grow Tank Setup Seed Ordering
Shipping
Shipping Gametophyte Biomass Transporting Seed Spools
Nursery Operations
Preparing Biomass for Seeding Painting Biomass onto Spools Caring for Spools in the Nursery
General Facility Operations
Guidelines Cleaning and Sterilization Biosecurity
Glossary and Reference Materials
Glossary Templates and Reference Materials
Resources & Tools
Gametophyte Morphology Chart
Download file
Protocol for Sanitizing Spools
Download file
Kelp Nursery-Buyer Contract Template
Download file
Protocol for Shipping Gametophyte Cultures
Download file
Protocol for Transporting Seed Spools
Download file
Protocol for Weighing Gametophyte Biomass
Download file
Protocol for Painting Gametophyte Biomass onto Spools
Download file
Lesson 4 General Facility Operations

Back to: Propagating Seedstring from Gametophytes

Guidelines

Your nursery tank is tailored to be the perfect environment for your kelp seed to grow. Unfortunately, many other organisms also thrive in this environment. If not properly managed or contained, contamination in your nursery can quickly spiral out of control. You need to be hypervigilant about keeping surfaces and equipment clean to reduce the risk of contamination.

Set yourself up for success by adhering to the following guidelines in all of your nursery activities:

  1. Familiarize yourself with important processes and systems, especially sterilizing protocols and your water filtration system, so you can make intuitive decisions and avoid preventable nursery failures.

  2. Follow the sorus tissue processing protocols carefully. Microscopic organisms living on your sorus tissue are the most common way contaminants enter your facility.

  3. Wear nitrile gloves when working in a tank. As soon as you move to another tank, switch gloves or spray the gloves with 70% (or higher) ethanol and wipe your gloves with a clean paper towel. This prevents cross-contamination between tanks. If you use ethanol, always be sure your gloves are completely dry before continuing work; even a small amount of ethanol can harm your kelp. If a tank is contaminated, you should always switch gloves before working on another tank.

  4. Take care of your filtration system. Filtration helps keep your seawater clean. Follow the manufacturer’s instructions on how to properly clean your filtration system. Store it properly at the end of the season to ensure its longevity.

  5. Keep the doors and windows leading to your nursery space closed. This will help keep dust, grime, and microorganisms out of your space.

  6. Use air filtration systems like small 0.22 micron in-line filters for any aeration into your tanks.

  7. Do not enter your space in clothes or shoes that are dirty from farm work or have recently been in contact with raw seawater.

  8. Thoroughly sterilize and clean all equipment before placing it in your tanks. Spray or wipe any equipment that regularly moves from tank to tank (such as water quality probes) with 70% or higher ethanol solution between uses. Be sure they are completely dry before using them in the next tank