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{audio}http://cpa.ds.npr.org/krcb/audio/2016/11/nbr_11-8-16__kelp_in_decline.mp3{/audio}
Kelp has an unusual two-stage life cycle, explains Fish and Wildlife environmental biologist Cynthia Catton, and the large plants we see are actually just a small part of that.
{audio}http://cpa.ds.npr.org/krcb/audio/2016/11/kelp_cycle.mp3{/audio}
Sport diver Josh Russo says the thriving kelp forests of the early 2000s also supported a surge in the regions’ abalone populations, which are now declining along with the kelp. But that, too, is inconsistent.
{audio}http://cpa.ds.npr.org/krcb/audio/2016/11/abs.mp3{/audio}
