Overfishing puts Southern California kelp forest ecosystems at risk, report scientists

(Santa Barbara, Calif.) –– Kelp forest ecosystems that span the West Coast –– from Alaska to Mexico's Baja Peninsula –– are at greater risk from overfishing than from the effects of run-off from fertilizers or sewage on the shore, say scientists at the University of California, Santa Barbara. The findings have important implications for the design of California's Marine Protected Areas.

In an article published in the May 26 issue of Science, scientists describe the first study to compare the top-down versus bottom-up human influences on the food chain of the kelp forest ecosystems.