Author Description

Interest in the potential of floating kelp beds in the coastal waters of B.C. for the extraction of phycocolloids and other plant products, or for the production of kelp meal as a dietary supplement for humans and livestock has stimulated investigation of factors infuencing the wise harvest of the plants. Fish species frequenting kelp beds are divided into resident, associated and transient. This project was conducted to examine the fish community of a bull kelp stand in Barkley Sound; to determine the relationships of the species in this community to each other and to the habitat; to examine the effect of experimental canopy removal on the diversity and abundance of the species in this community; and to relate these findings to the management of the kelp resource. The report describes the kelp bed studied, the ecology of the fish community in it, and the results and implications of canopy removal.