Best Kelp

Saccharina japonica, formerly classified as Laminaria japonica, is a brown kelp cultivated extensively in the northwest Pacific for the edible sea vegetable kombu. It grows in cold coastal waters and is farmed on ropes or nets, then harvested and dried into dark fronds or strips. Kombu is a core ing...

Strongylocentrotus purpuratus, commonly known as the purple sea urchin, is a species of echinoderm found in Pacific coastal waters. It’s notable for its well-studied biology and serves as a key model organism within marine research. Scientists utilize this regular sea urchin, belonging to the Strong...

Mesocentrotus franciscanus, commonly known as the red sea urchin, is a regular echinoderm belonging to the Strongylocentrotidae family. It inhabits kelp forests along the Pacific coast of North America. This species is notable for its size and commercially harvested roe, which is consumed globally....

Nereocystis luetkeana, or bull kelp, is an annual brown kelp found along the Pacific coast of North America from Alaska to California. It has a long, whip-like stipe and a hollow gas-filled float from which ribbon-like blades extend, and it can reach about 36 m in length. The species forms dense sur...

Saccharina latissima is a brown kelp with a long, ribbon-like blade that grows in cold coastal waters of the North Atlantic and adjacent Arctic regions. It attaches to rocky substrates in shallow subtidal zones and is commercially cultivated on submerged longlines in parts of Europe and North Americ...

Mesocentrotus nudus is a regular sea-urchin belonging to the Strongylocentrotidae family. It inhabits kelp forests of the North Pacific, specifically around Japan. This species is notable for its prevalence and role in the ecosystem. Scientists study it to understand urchin populations and their imp...

Laminaria hyperborea, commonly known as Cuvie, is a species of large brown kelp found in the subtidal zones of the northeastern Atlantic Ocean. It grows up to 3.5 meters tall and forms dense canopy forests that provide critical habitat for a wide variety of marine life. This cold-water seaweed is di...

The Sea Palm (Postelsia palmaeformis) is a distinctive brown kelp species found on wave-exposed rocky shores along the Pacific coast of North America. It is the only kelp that grows vertically with a palm-like shape, featuring a flexible stipe that holds up its fronds against strong wave action. Thi...

Wakame, scientifically known as Undaria pinnatifida, is a species of edible brown seaweed native to the cold temperate coastal waters of Japan, Korea, and China. It is widely cultivated on submerged ropes and nets for culinary use, particularly in traditional Asian dishes such as miso soup and salad...

Whalers Cove is a small, sheltered inlet within Point Lobos State Natural Reserve near Carmel-by-the-Sea, California. In the mid-19th century, the cove served as a base for shore-based whaling operations conducted by Portuguese immigrants. Today it is part of a protected marine area with an underwat...

Cochayuyo, scientifically named Durvillaea antarctica, is a large species of brown kelp found along the coasts of Chile, New Zealand, and subantarctic islands. It grows in harsh, cold-water intertidal zones and features a massive, leathery holdfast that allows it to withstand strong ocean waves. The...

Oarweed, scientifically known as Laminaria digitata, is a large brown marine algae that forms dense subtidal forests along the rocky coastlines of the North Atlantic Ocean. The species is identifiable by its long, flat, finger-like fronds that emerge from a central stipe anchored to the substrate. I...

Partington Cove is a coastal inlet located in the Big Sur region of central California, situated within Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park. The cove is accessed via a historic trail and a hand-dug tunnel that leads down to the rocky shoreline. In the late 19th century, the site was utilized by John Par...

Egregia menziesii, commonly known as feather boa kelp, is a species of brown algae in the family Lessoniaceae. It is native to the rocky coastlines of the Pacific Ocean along western North America, ranging from Alaska to Baja California. The kelp is characterized by a single long, cylindrical stipe...

Stillwater Cove is a sheltered inlet located on the Monterey Peninsula in Pebble Beach, California. Situated within the boundaries of the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary, the cove features kelp forests and rocky reefs that attract scuba divers and kayakers. Its calm waters and rich marine bio...

Dabberlocks is a species of brown algae in the kelp family that thrives in the cold, nutrient-rich marine environments of the North Atlantic and Arctic Oceans. It is distinguished by its long, flattened, olive-brown fronds and a prominent central midrib, allowing it to grow at depths where strong wa...

Lessonia corrugata is a species of subantarctic brown macroalgae, or kelp, native to the southern coasts of South America and adjacent islands. It thrives in cold-water marine environments, forming dense subtidal forests that provide critical habitat and shelter for diverse marine communities. The a...

Macrocystis integrifolia is a species of brown algae, commonly known as giant kelp, that forms extensive subtidal forests along the Pacific coasts of North and South America. It is one of the world's fastest-growing organisms, capable of growing up to 30 centimeters per day under optimal conditions....

Holopneustes inflatus is a species of regular sea urchin belonging to the family Temnopleuridae, an organism originally described by the Swiss-American zoologist Louis Agassiz in 1846. As an echinoderm, it features a spherical, radially symmetrical shell covered in movable spines used for defense an...

Pterygophora californica, commonly known as stalked kelp, is a perennial brown macroalga native to the rocky subtidal zones of the Pacific North American coast. The seaweed features a single, woody central stipe that supports long, flat blades, structurally resembling an underwater palm tree. Growth...

A brown alga (Alariaceae) closely related to the commercially cultivated wakame (Undaria pinnatifida), native to the temperate coastal waters of Japan, Korea, and China.

Holopneustes purpurascens is a regular sea urchin in the family Temnopleuridae, described by Alexander Agassiz in 1872. It occurs in southern Australian marine habitats and is associated with kelp and other large seaweeds, among which it feeds and finds shelter. The species is of interest to marine...

Strongylocentrotus polyacanthus is a regular sea urchin in the family Strongylocentrotidae, commonly known as the many-spined sea urchin. It inhabits cold waters of the North Pacific, including areas around the Aleutian Islands and Alaska, and occurs on rocky seabeds where it grazes on algae and oth...

Hendrick's Neptunia is a limited-edition gin released by William Grant & Sons at their Girvan distillery in Scotland. It is part of the brand's Cabinet of Curiosities line and is distilled with a selection of coastal botanicals to evoke the aroma of sea spray. Alongside the signature Hendrick's infu...

Eualaria fistulosa, commonly known as dragon kelp, is a large brown macroalga belonging to the order Laminariales. It is native to the North Pacific, with a range extending from Alaska down the Aleutian Islands to the coastlines of Russia and Japan. The species is structurally distinct, featuring a...

Saccharina groenlandica is a species of brown kelp belonging to the family Laminariaceae, native to the cold, nutrient-rich marine waters of the Arctic and subarctic regions, particularly around Greenland. Like other species in its genus, it is a large, macroscopic alga adapted to subtidal rocky env...

Holopneustes porosissimus is a species of sea urchin classified within the Temnopleuridae family, first formally described by Louis Agassiz in 1846.

Strongylocentrotus djakonovi is a species of regular sea urchin belonging to the family Strongylocentrotidae. Endemic to the cold marine environments of the North Pacific Ocean, this species was first taxonomically described by Russian zoologist E. N. Baranova in 1957. As a benthic marine invertebra...

Laminaria setchellii is a species of brown kelp belonging to the family Laminariaceae, native to the Pacific coast of North America. It grows in low intertidal and shallow subtidal zones, where it attaches firmly to rocky substrates using a robust holdfast. The species is characterized by a long, st...