Assessing Vertebrate Biodiversity in a Kelp Forest Ecosystem Form

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[Narrator] The Pacific Northwest’s  Puget Sound. Its waters form the   nation’s second-largest estuary and comprise  the southern half of the greater Salish Sea.   With more than 4 million people calling it “home,”   the Puget Sound region is known for its natural  wonders both above and below the surface. [Brian] The real beauty of Puget  Sound is what lies under the surface. [Narrator] More than two dozen kelp species  create an underwater haven for marine mammals,   hundreds of fish species, and a diverse  array of invertebrates and other organisms. [Betsy] Puget Sound is a biodiversity  hotspot. Kelp forests themselves   are fueling, powering, supporting the marine  ecosystem and the fisheries on which we depend. [Brian] Everything eats kelp. It's in the shrimp  and the clams and the salmon and the whales.   Kelp is the reason why  estuaries are productive places. [Brooke] They are these giant underwater  forests that are just totally irreplaceable. [