Back to: Sorus Collection
Once the blades are collected and either brought onshore or onboard, it is best to wrap them in a damp piece of burlap or paper towel quickly. It is important to keep the kelp cool and damp, and to avoid “suffocating” it by wrapping it too tightly. Simply take the piece of paper towel or fabric, dip it in the seawater, and ring it out until it no longer drips. Lay it out and layer it with the freshly collected blades. For longer transports, like shipping, a slightly different approach to packing your sorus is outlined in this Sorus Packaging and Shipping Protocol.
One strategy for transporting your sorus tissue can be to make a “kelp burrito.” Do this by alternating layers of wet paper towel with the blades you harvested until you have a thick stack. Then gently roll the whole stack together and place it in a plastic Ziplock bag. You can also layer the blades with burlap and place that entire burlap package into a cooler, with a protective layer between the burlap and ice/cool packs to ensure your blades don’t freeze or come in contact with fresh water that is a result of condensation.
It is best practice to begin processing the sorus tissue blades the same day of collection, but if timing does not allow, the sorus tissue can still be viable for up to three days post-collection if they are kept cool.
