Species profile
Feather Boa Kelp
Egregia menziesii
At a glance
Feather Boa Kelp (Egregia menziesii) is a marine alga regulated in 3 of 66 jurisdictions tracked by CatchRules across the U.S. and Canada.
The strictest bag limit is 1 (Oregon); the most generous is 10 (California).
Confirmed by 12,398 research-grade iNaturalist observations, with California, British Columbia, and Oregon the top jurisdictions by observation count.
Notable details
- Named for its frilly, feathery fronds that can grow up to 10 meters (33 feet) long.
- Ranges from Alaska to Baja California along exposed rocky Pacific shores.
- The central stipe is lined with hundreds of small bladelets and air-filled floats called pneumatocysts.
- The tough, rope-like stipe allows it to withstand heavy surf on exposed rocky coastlines.
- Provides dense shelter and nursery habitat for dozens of small invertebrates and juvenile fish.
Where Feather Boa Kelp are seen
Jurisdictions with rules for Feather Boa Kelp
Background
Egregia menziesii is a species of kelp known commonly as feather boa kelp. It is native to the coastline of western North America from Alaska to Baja California, where it is a common kelp of the intertidal zone. It is dark brown in color, shiny and bumpy in texture, and may reach over five meters long. It grows a branching stipe from a thick holdfast. It bears long, flat, straplike fronds lined…
Background excerpt adapted from Wikipedia's Feather Boa Kelp article (CC BY-SA). Visit Wikipedia for the full entry.
Other brown algae/kelps on CatchRules
Photo credit: iNaturalist / Wikipedia. Identification reference only — verify regulations with the issuing wildlife agency before retaining a catch.