Kelp forests (dense stands of large brown seaweed primarily of the Order Laminariales), dominate rocky reefs along temperate and subpolar coastlines around the world. These forests are considered among the most diverse and productive ecosystems on Earth that modify local environmental conditions and provide a three dimensional habitat for an array of marine life. These forests are similar in structure to terrestrial forests, with a canopy layer that facilitates the formation of rich understorey algal assemblages, that in turn provides food and shelter for macroinvertebrates, which are food for species from higher trophic levels such as fishes.
Apocalypse Now: The True Cost of Overfishing
Political decisions over recent decades have brought many of the UK’s fish populations, and the fisheries dependent upon them, to the point of collapse. At the heart of this failure lies continues and extensive overfishing.
15 September 2026