For hatchery operations in Alaska, you will need to apply for a Seed Stock Acquisition Permit, the requirements of which are to collect 50 unique blades from each of the species you’ll be growing, sourced from within 50 km of the target farming site. The goal of this regulation is to maintain the genetic diversity of the seed you’re growing, and you may need to plan to draw sorus tissue from multiple beds to sustainably collect and reach this limit.
Lesson 3
Collecting Kelp Sorus Tissue
Back to: Sorus Collection
Strategies for Responsible Collection
Regardless of who is doing the collection and how the collection takes place (wading, snorkeling, diving, etc.), the goal should always be to collect this reproductive material in a way that does not harm the wild beds. For sugar kelp, it’s best to cut the blade three inches above its meristem. The meristem is the area of the blade that is actively forming new tissue, so leaving it in place means it can continue to grow. For bull kelp and Alaria spp., you should only take the fertile section of the blades or sporophylls to allow the rest of the parent blade to continue to grow and eventually reproduce.
Also, you should never take all the fertile blades from a single bed; only taking (maximum) one out of every 10 reproductive blades can help ensure continued success of the bed and thereby protect your seedstock for future hatchery seasons. You don’t need to take the entire fertile portion of every blade that you collect; each blade holds millions of spores, so collecting just a portion from several individual blades can be more than enough to seed your hatchery and maintain genetic diversity of your seedstock.The remaining sorus tissue you leave behind will repopulate the kelp bed for the following season.
Industry Tip
GreenWave Resource
Kelp Sorus Collection Best Management Practices (BMPs)
In addition to collecting sorus tissue in a way that will protect the wild kelp beds, you also want to choose blades that will perform well in your hatchery. Targeting blades that have little to no biofouling and grazing will help decrease the likelihood of contamination within your culture tanks. Even though there are several cleaning steps when processing your blades, anything that may be living on the surface has a chance to make it into the hatchery and, under the optimal temperature, light, and nutrient conditions of your tanks, can thrive and potentially outcompete your kelp seed.
