Josie Iselin is a photographer, author, and book designer, including The Mysterious World of the Bull Kelp Forest (2026). She is also a co-director of Above/Below, a campaign to bring the recognition afforded forests on land to the kelp forests below the ocean’s surface. Synthesizing the scientific stories of our coasts is her overriding passion, bringing thoughtfulness and stewardship to this extraordinary place of discovery.
On this episode of Nature Revisited, Josie introduces us to the overlooked complex underwater world of Bull Kelp forests on the North Pacific coast of the US. Each year, tiny bull kelp saplings explode into sixty-foot “redwoods”, harboring an array of co-dependent species. She describes how their interspecies dramas play out in eight coastal regions, from Alaska to central California, exploring instances of interdependent, compromised, and resilient coastal ecosystems. Humans are also deeply implicated in this saga—by turns beneficiaries, agents of harm, and stewards of these subtidal sanctuaries.
Bolinas Seaweed Varieties