A comparison of two rearing sites of the giant kelp Macrocystis integrifolia in Sitka Sound, Alaska

In order to test the suitability of a site for the rearing of Macrocystis integrifolia. ten sporophytes were transplanted from a wild patch at Whiting Harbor. Sitka. Alaska. to a site located behind the Sheldon Jackson College salmon hatchery in Sitka. Growth and survival were compared at the locations from April 4 to May 28. 1987. Growth at Whiting Harbor was significantly greater than growth at Sheldon Jackson College (SJC). A freshwater lens at the SJC site is thought to have impaired growth of the upper blades on the plants. For this reason the SJC site is not suitable for M. integrifolia. 

Attempts were made to artificially culture M. integrifolia at the SJC facility. Culturing from spore release through gametophyte stages to maturation and zygote fertilization was successful. However. culturing of the new sporophytes was not successful.