Clay Steell
@claysteell.bsky.social
Kelp, fish, & biodiversity enthusiast on traditional Huu-ay-aht territory (Bamfield), Vancouver Island | Passionate about ecology, physiology, oceans, and climate | Posts are, sadly, my own | he/him
https://claysteell.weebly.com/
https://claysteell.weebly.com/
For #PhycologyFriday, some late-season Bull Kelp I saw on a freedive this week, still pumping out spore-bearing sori despite the approach of winter
Seen in Lekwungen territory on Vancouver Island (Victoria, BC)
Seen in Lekwungen territory on Vancouver Island (Victoria, BC)
November 14, 2025 at 6:53 PM
For #PhycologyFriday, some late-season Bull Kelp I saw on a freedive this week, still pumping out spore-bearing sori despite the approach of winter
Seen in Lekwungen territory on Vancouver Island (Victoria, BC)
Seen in Lekwungen territory on Vancouver Island (Victoria, BC)
For #PhycologyFriday, a Gloiocladia laciniata growing on a stalk of kelp here in the territories of Lekwungen peoples (Victoria, BC). There's not much info I could find online about this red alga's striking color, but I enjoyed seeing a bunch of their scintillating blue blades on a snorkel this week
October 31, 2025 at 6:02 PM
For #PhycologyFriday, a Gloiocladia laciniata growing on a stalk of kelp here in the territories of Lekwungen peoples (Victoria, BC). There's not much info I could find online about this red alga's striking color, but I enjoyed seeing a bunch of their scintillating blue blades on a snorkel this week
For #PhycologyFriday, some kelp-as-habitat appreciation from a recent night dive here on WSANEC territory (Saanich Inlet, Vancouver Island). Was fun to see these more nocturnal species, Sailfin Sculpin and Helmet Crab, hiding in beds of Saccharina and Neoagarum!
October 24, 2025 at 7:01 PM
For #PhycologyFriday, some kelp-as-habitat appreciation from a recent night dive here on WSANEC territory (Saanich Inlet, Vancouver Island). Was fun to see these more nocturnal species, Sailfin Sculpin and Helmet Crab, hiding in beds of Saccharina and Neoagarum!
For #PhycologyFriday, here’s a funky Bull Kelp bulb sent to me by a friend in Ucluelet. Anyone know what causes this to happen? Never seen one like this before
#kelp
#kelp
September 19, 2025 at 7:13 PM
For #PhycologyFriday, here’s a funky Bull Kelp bulb sent to me by a friend in Ucluelet. Anyone know what causes this to happen? Never seen one like this before
#kelp
#kelp
For #PhycologyFriday, a topside view of a beautiful little bull kelp forest here in Huu-ay-aht territory, western Vancouver Island 🌊 #kelp #kelpforest
August 8, 2025 at 5:17 PM
For #PhycologyFriday, a topside view of a beautiful little bull kelp forest here in Huu-ay-aht territory, western Vancouver Island 🌊 #kelp #kelpforest
Thrilled to share this new paper from our 2023 #kelp restoration study! We used Giant Kelp #GreenGravel for a reciprocal transplant experiment, & found limited evidence for local adaptation along a small-scale thermal gradient. It was our 1st outplanting, many lessons learned!
#PhycologyFriday
#PhycologyFriday
July 18, 2025 at 11:16 PM
Thrilled to share this new paper from our 2023 #kelp restoration study! We used Giant Kelp #GreenGravel for a reciprocal transplant experiment, & found limited evidence for local adaptation along a small-scale thermal gradient. It was our 1st outplanting, many lessons learned!
#PhycologyFriday
#PhycologyFriday
For #PhycologyFriday, some pics (right) from a fun freedive this week on the Giant Kelp #GreenGravel I cultured this winter (left), outplanted for #kelpforest #restoration in Huu-ay-aht territory! Visibility was terrible, but was excited to see some reaching 3+ meters long 🥲 #kelp
June 20, 2025 at 7:44 PM
For #PhycologyFriday, some pics (right) from a fun freedive this week on the Giant Kelp #GreenGravel I cultured this winter (left), outplanted for #kelpforest #restoration in Huu-ay-aht territory! Visibility was terrible, but was excited to see some reaching 3+ meters long 🥲 #kelp
Saw a new parasitic plant species for me today: Pinesap, Monotropa hypopitys 👻
June 3, 2025 at 11:12 PM
Saw a new parasitic plant species for me today: Pinesap, Monotropa hypopitys 👻
For #PhycologyFriday, I was sent these pics from my dive buddy Dr. Lauren Dykman at Kelp Rescue, the Bull #Kelp we grew & outplanted in K’omoks territory this Feb has grown! Exciting to see them getting tall this early in summer. Several experiments going on here, & it’s also become fish habitat 🥲
May 30, 2025 at 10:13 PM
For #PhycologyFriday, I was sent these pics from my dive buddy Dr. Lauren Dykman at Kelp Rescue, the Bull #Kelp we grew & outplanted in K’omoks territory this Feb has grown! Exciting to see them getting tall this early in summer. Several experiments going on here, & it’s also become fish habitat 🥲
For #PhycologyFriday, a new seaweed for me from a dive last month here in Huu-ay-aht territory, western Vancouver Island: something in the genus Phycodrus (most likely). Anyone know what species it might be? iNat obs: www.inaturalist.org/observations...
May 16, 2025 at 9:19 PM
For #PhycologyFriday, a new seaweed for me from a dive last month here in Huu-ay-aht territory, western Vancouver Island: something in the genus Phycodrus (most likely). Anyone know what species it might be? iNat obs: www.inaturalist.org/observations...
Had fun co-presenting some of the findings from our 2023 kelp restoration experiments with my friend, dive buddy, & scientific collaborator Dr. Lauren Dykman today at #ISS25! They’re close to publication, stay tuned this summer to read more
#kelp #restoration #greengravel
#kelp #restoration #greengravel
May 9, 2025 at 3:30 AM
Had fun co-presenting some of the findings from our 2023 kelp restoration experiments with my friend, dive buddy, & scientific collaborator Dr. Lauren Dykman today at #ISS25! They’re close to publication, stay tuned this summer to read more
#kelp #restoration #greengravel
#kelp #restoration #greengravel
Been having a blast at #ISS25, meeting many fellow phycologists & seaweed ecologists new & old! Big thanks to Karen Filbee-Dexter for plugging our paper from the #GreenGravel Action Group in her great plenary yday, George Wood for leading it, & its many co-authors I’m meeting for the first time!
May 7, 2025 at 3:11 PM
Been having a blast at #ISS25, meeting many fellow phycologists & seaweed ecologists new & old! Big thanks to Karen Filbee-Dexter for plugging our paper from the #GreenGravel Action Group in her great plenary yday, George Wood for leading it, & its many co-authors I’m meeting for the first time!
For #PhycologyFriday, since I’m back on Tsleil-waututh, Musqueam, & Squamish territory this week, here’s some of our restored Bull Kelp off New Brighton park, Vancouver last Sept 🥲 it felt meaningful seeing our work with TWN since 2022 return #kelp to this shore for the first time in many years!
May 2, 2025 at 10:06 PM
For #PhycologyFriday, since I’m back on Tsleil-waututh, Musqueam, & Squamish territory this week, here’s some of our restored Bull Kelp off New Brighton park, Vancouver last Sept 🥲 it felt meaningful seeing our work with TWN since 2022 return #kelp to this shore for the first time in many years!
Happy International Workers Day from this sleepy & slightly sick convention delegate. Science is labor. Research is labor. Education is labor. Grateful to be in solidarity with my coworkers & hundreds of thousands of other public sector workers across these Indigenous territories we call BC & Canada
May 2, 2025 at 3:57 AM
Happy International Workers Day from this sleepy & slightly sick convention delegate. Science is labor. Research is labor. Education is labor. Grateful to be in solidarity with my coworkers & hundreds of thousands of other public sector workers across these Indigenous territories we call BC & Canada
For #PhycologyFriday, here's some juvenile bull #kelp (Nereocystis luetkeana) I saw on a dive this week here in Huu-ay-aht territory, western Vancouver Island. This site has had persistent canopy kelp despite widespread declines along this coast, though overgrazing from urchins remains a threat
April 26, 2025 at 2:19 AM
For #PhycologyFriday, here's some juvenile bull #kelp (Nereocystis luetkeana) I saw on a dive this week here in Huu-ay-aht territory, western Vancouver Island. This site has had persistent canopy kelp despite widespread declines along this coast, though overgrazing from urchins remains a threat
For #PhycologyFriday, an old pic of some subtropical drift Sargassum (possibly S. fluitans) sheltering a juvenile Schoolmaster snapper in a mangrove nursery. Taken in Eleuthera, The Bahamas during my M.Sc research 🇧🇸
April 18, 2025 at 5:14 PM
For #PhycologyFriday, an old pic of some subtropical drift Sargassum (possibly S. fluitans) sheltering a juvenile Schoolmaster snapper in a mangrove nursery. Taken in Eleuthera, The Bahamas during my M.Sc research 🇧🇸
For #PhycologyFriday, some of my little dog’s love for chewing the bulbs of washed up Bull Kelp 🥲 she always goes for the bulbs specifically, must have a good mouth feel
#kelp
#kelp
April 11, 2025 at 4:54 PM
For #PhycologyFriday, some of my little dog’s love for chewing the bulbs of washed up Bull Kelp 🥲 she always goes for the bulbs specifically, must have a good mouth feel
#kelp
#kelp
For #PhycologyFriday, here’s a big pebbly mudflat of rockweed (Fucus distichus) mixed with what I believe is yet-to-bud Glasswort (Salicornia) that I saw this week visiting Ma’amtagila territory in northern Vancouver Island. Both are common species, but this seemed like an unusual habitat/growth!
April 4, 2025 at 7:18 PM
For #PhycologyFriday, here’s a big pebbly mudflat of rockweed (Fucus distichus) mixed with what I believe is yet-to-bud Glasswort (Salicornia) that I saw this week visiting Ma’amtagila territory in northern Vancouver Island. Both are common species, but this seemed like an unusual habitat/growth!
A cute little anatomical feature you can see in these moments is the tiny cirri above their eyes, like little eyelashes
April 3, 2025 at 9:59 PM
A cute little anatomical feature you can see in these moments is the tiny cirri above their eyes, like little eyelashes
Kelp Greenling are common here in the northeast Pacific & easy to take for granted
Every now and then, one will calmly watch you on a dive, allowing some time up close and personal like this, a nice reminder that there's beauty and wonder even in wildlife you've seen a thousand times
Every now and then, one will calmly watch you on a dive, allowing some time up close and personal like this, a nice reminder that there's beauty and wonder even in wildlife you've seen a thousand times
April 3, 2025 at 9:58 PM
Kelp Greenling are common here in the northeast Pacific & easy to take for granted
Every now and then, one will calmly watch you on a dive, allowing some time up close and personal like this, a nice reminder that there's beauty and wonder even in wildlife you've seen a thousand times
Every now and then, one will calmly watch you on a dive, allowing some time up close and personal like this, a nice reminder that there's beauty and wonder even in wildlife you've seen a thousand times
For #PhycologyFriday, here’s some nori (Porphyra) I stumbled upon while dog walking, a poo bag enabled some impromptu harvesting 🌊 after a couple hours in the dehydrator and grinding up, it’s a delicious crunchy topping
March 28, 2025 at 9:24 PM
For #PhycologyFriday, here’s some nori (Porphyra) I stumbled upon while dog walking, a poo bag enabled some impromptu harvesting 🌊 after a couple hours in the dehydrator and grinding up, it’s a delicious crunchy topping
For #PhycologyFriday, here’s an alga with a beautiful name, the Mermaid’s Wineglass (Acetabularia acetabulum). I saw this one a few years ago in Seminole territory off Key Largo, Florida, growing in a warm, shallow flat. A fun fact about this species is that it’s technically one giant cell!
March 21, 2025 at 11:20 PM
For #PhycologyFriday, here’s an alga with a beautiful name, the Mermaid’s Wineglass (Acetabularia acetabulum). I saw this one a few years ago in Seminole territory off Key Largo, Florida, growing in a warm, shallow flat. A fun fact about this species is that it’s technically one giant cell!
For #PhycologyFriday, here’s a Giant Kelp #GreenGravel that I grew & deployed at one of our #restoration sites this week 🌊 We’re piloting grazer control to improve restoration rates, & if we get good growth again, this little #kelp could grow over 7 meters tall this summer! @kelprescue.bsky.social
March 15, 2025 at 6:19 AM
For #PhycologyFriday, here’s a Giant Kelp #GreenGravel that I grew & deployed at one of our #restoration sites this week 🌊 We’re piloting grazer control to improve restoration rates, & if we get good growth again, this little #kelp could grow over 7 meters tall this summer! @kelprescue.bsky.social