About Forest of the Sea

In a matter of decades, a spectacular cold-water paradise thirty million years in the making is succumbing to warming oceans. Kelp forests are largely out of sight, hidden under the ocean’s surface, yet they are one of Earth’s largest and most wonderous marine habitats—an ethereal light-infused realm of sharks, otters, eels, sea stars, crabs, rockfish, and myriad other species. But kelp forests thrive along cold-water coastlines where decline occurs out of the public eye, and these underwater playgrounds bursting with colorful life are at risk of conversion into vast fields of lifeless urchin barrens.

Veteran journalist David Helvarg takes us on a riveting journey beneath the waves to understand kelp’s natural and human history, the billions of dollars of products and services it contributes to our global economy, the unwitting human activities that threaten its survival, and the powerful movements around the world to restore its disappearing habitat. Helvarg seeks out Indigenous leaders promoting sea otter reintroduction, out-of-work urchin fisherman, documentary filmmakers, and ocean scientists all working in an unlikely collaboration to restore and protect kelp forests while promoting a growing range of uses for food, medicine, and energy.

Forest of the Sea is a stark reminder that although this underwater world of color and beauty is at grave risk, ordinary citizens working together to restore and protect kelp forests offer hope for the future of our oceans.