Common name: Golden kelp
Latin botanical name: Ecklonia radiata
Family: Lessoniaceae
Native: Mostly in intertidal zones of Southern Hemisphere coastlines
Ecology:
Ecklonia demonstrates how the climate emergency can impact marine ecosystems. This species of kelp grows 1m tall and usually grows down to 25m in depth. In recent decades it has been thriving where Giant kelp forests are disappearing, due to rapid warming of the Australian east coast current. It’s most noticeable around Tasmania, where the warm nutrient poor waters displace the cooler nutrient rich southern currents. Each Giant kelp plant can grow up to 40m tall, being the largest marine algae in the world, with whole forests supplying food and habitat for countless fish and other marine species.
Water off the east coast of Tasmanian is a global heating hotspot. Over the last century, a temperature rise of 2C has caused 95% of Tasmania’s kelp forests to disappear. This has been exacerbated by the native sea urchin feeding on the weakened plants to create marine deserts. Sea urchin populations have exploded along the east coast, due to the depletion of their natural fish predators from over fishing and loss of their kelp forrest habitat.
Ecklonia dominates the ecological niche environment left behind by Giant kelp and joins a growing list of native species becoming invasive due to climate change. On a positive note, scientists from the Institute of Marine and Antarctic Studies are currently trialling selective breeding to produce a variety of giant kelp more suited to warmer waters. See here: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/ng-interactive/2020/feb/24/the-dead-sea-tasmanias-underwater-forests-disappearing-in-our-lifetime
Food:
Ecklonia plays a role in my current research into parallel relationships between fermented foods, the human-microbiome and the ecosystems we depend on. In 2021 I developed a range of fermented food products for the exhibition Plant Treaty at Lismore Regional Gallery, under the now defunct business ECO GUT. Each product contained a specific plant ingredient – native or endemic to a specific ecology under threat. I made Pacific Kimchi with locally sourced ingredients, including green papaya and Ecklonia foraged from Northern Rivers beaches.
Foraging:
Ecklonia can be found washed up on beaches immediately after large swells from Southerly weather systems. Collect it before it starts to rot on the sand and wash it in clear seawater. Dry it on your clothesline in the sun, because it dries faster and ultraviolet light is thought to make nutrients in sundried plants more bioavailable when eaten. Foraging is an ancient practice gaining popularity around the world. Alternative food practices play a major role in my research and collaboration projects, through engagement with diverse cultural histories and community initiatives, such as migrant community gardens and First Nations agriculture & connections to place through local edible species. When undertaken with care and consideration, foraging is one of many food practices that highlight the unsustainability of modern extractivist style farming. Monoculture farming depletes soil microbial health and fertility, thereby depending on chemical fertilisers, pesticides, fungicides and herbicides. It diverts and drains water from land and contaminates aquifers, leading to the collapse of biodiversity.
Foraging comes with responsibility. Always remember, it’s not just about free food and getting into nature, foraging is in effect a form of agriculture and caretaking of land. It requires awareness of your surroundings and just a little effort each time to maintain and supporting biodiversity for stronger ecosystems we all depend on. Always check your state or local government websites for rules and restrictions applying to the collection of wild plants. In New South Wales you can forage up to 20 litres of fresh seaweed from beaches per day for personal use only. A permit is required for commercial use. See here for further info on recent projects between Germany and Australia https://andrewrewald.com








