Specialist Sees Kelp Forest on Newport’s Bare Bottom

Far from the maddening crush of summer bathers and boaters, Rodolphe Streichenberger’s idea has quietly taken root in the waters off Newport Beach.

About 300 yards from the Balboa Pier, some 30 to 60 feet below the ocean surface, dozens of plastic columns covered with brown kelp and clusters of mussels sway with the tide. Anchored in the sandy bottom by plastic rope, the columns--and the aquatic life they support--represent an encouraging start to what Streichenberger hopes someday will be a thriving forest of giant kelp.

It is an attempt, Streichenberger says, to restore an ecological balance to coastal waters stripped of much of their marine life. The thick canopy of kelp that he envisions covering his 10-acre offshore plot one day would provide protection and nutrients for dozens of marine species.

Calico bass and sculpin will dart in and out of the broad kelp leaves, the French researcher says. And there will be a harvestable crop of abalone, lobsters and mussels to help pay for maintenance of the marine forest and the establishment of similar undersea ventures along the southern California coast.

In July, after nearly two years of research and experimentation, and a year after he obtained a five-year lease for the offshore plot from the state, Streichenberger “planted” about 250 plastic tubes in the sandy ocean bottom, the first of 2,000 such structures. With the aid of divers from the Newport Beach chapter of the Sea Scouts, the columns were manually anchored in the sand with lengths of plastic rope that are buried some 8 to 10 feet beneath the ocean floor.

It is this procedure, devised by Streichenberger, that makes the project unique in the fields of aqua culture and kelp bed regeneration.

For years, marine biologists have demonstrated that kelp beds can be seeded and nurtured to maturity as long as the roots of the hearty salt water plant can be anchored to undersea rocks and reefs. But Streichenberger, if successful, would be the first to establish a large kelp bed on a sandy bottom.

“If it works,” said one state marine biologist, “the potential for creating kelp beds, and thus a source of marketable food, may be limitless.”

It may also have applications as a beach erosion buffer, Streichenberger says, with the kelp beds slowing and dissipating waves before they reach the shore and carry away precious sand.

Streichenberger, 59, and members of his nonprofit company, Marine Forest, agree it is too early to declare the venture a winner.

In fact, the biological results from the first plantings in July have been mixed. The mussels, which were attached to the plastic columns, have thrived. But the kelp shoots, particularly the juvenile plants, which were taken from mature beds off Salt Creek Beach in Laguna Niguel, have struggled.

Streichenberger blames the problems on the warm summer ocean temperatures, rather than the shock of transplantation. He had hoped to plant the first kelp last February when winter water temperatures are much cooler and more to the plants’ liking.

But Streichenberger, who moved to Balboa Island from France two years ago to test his marine theories, is not worried about the failure of the kelp to take hold. More important, he said, is that “the planting process and technology works.” The use of the plastic columns and rope anchors, he said, has succeeded “beyond my expectations.”

The next hurdle is money.

Streichenberger has spent about $50,000 on the project so far, most of it coming from private donors, and he estimates he needs another $25,000 to $50,000 to complete the work.

Some equipment and materials were donated, but the bulk has been purchased. Once in operation, Streichenberger believes, the harvest of shellfish will cover the maintenance of the columns and the marine forest itself.

He has relied heavily on volunteers, mainly Sea Scout Unit 1952, to do the in-ocean work. The marine-oriented scout troop, made up of males ages 14 to 21, has been instrumental in getting the job done, Streichenberger said. The Frenchman was unable to obtain liability insurance to cover volunteer divers. But the Sea Scouts already have their own insurance, as well as a boat and diving equipment.

“They have been lifesavers,” said Streichenberger, whom the scouts have nicknamed “Jacques Cousteau” because of his accent and love of the sea.

Bob Hill, the head of the local Sea Scout chapter, said the marine forest is an ideal project for his group.

“It combines diving, oceanography and a positive purpose,” said Hill, a retired highway patrolman who lives in Irvine. “At first we were a little skeptical, but it has proven to be a solid idea with great potential.”