Washington State Should Protect and Restore Kelp and Eelgrass

On Jan. 21, 2022, The Pew Charitable Trusts and its partners at the Puget Sound Restoration Fund (PSRF) submitted comments to the Washington Legislature in support of two proposed bills, S.B. 5619 and H.B. 1661, that would help conserve and restore the state’s kelp forests and eelgrass meadows. In the letter, Pew and PSRF detailed the extensive loss of bull kelp and eelgrass in Puget Sound and noted that mandating protection and restoration of these important marine habitats will also help sustain commercially and recreationally important salmon and groundfish populations, support tribal lifeways, capture and store carbon, reduce ocean acidification, and improve water quality.