What happened to the kelp in the Bay of Islands?

Bird Rock

25th January 2015

Pre-tropical cyclone Pam.

The first two photographs show the kelp forest in the depth range 20-25 metres. It had the appearance of a freshly mowed lawn.

The following two photographs show Bird Rock in the 12 metre range. Black urchins were prolific. Demoiselles were madly spawning.