About us
In 1982 Louis and Rae set up Canadian Kelp Resource Ltd., dedicated to advancing kelp cultivation and the production of a line of edible kelp products. Over the years CKR has trained all major BC kelp producers in kelp farming and kelp nursery production. In 2024, the edible kelp production and the research/consulting activities were separated with the research/consulting being placed in a new company, Canadian Kelp Research, Ltd. As Canadian Kelp Research, we continue to produce kelp seed for start-up farms and restoration initiatives and are exploring ways to improve seaweed cultivation.
Photo: Louis Druehl overseeing the ‘traditional’ Japanese style drying of the first farmed kelp outside of Asia, on Dixon Island, Barkley Sound, 1982. Species, Saccharina groenlandica; by Ron Long.
Dr. Louis Druehl
Louis Druehl, Professor Emeritus, Simon Fraser University, has taught and conducted seaweed-oriented research, with emphasis on kelp, since the 1960s. He led the committee that identified Bamfield as the site for the Wester Canadian Universities Bamfield Marine Station. From 1979 to 1984, he directed BC Provincial funded research leading to the first commercial kelp farm outside of Asia. His Canadian Kelp Resources, Ltd. conducted kelp productivity studies for GE during the OPEC Crises, has offered workshops on kelp farming and kelp seed production, and more recently, worked with others on kelp restoration. Over the years, he has worked with Cubans, Russians, Americans, Brazilians on seaweed issues, and offered a UN-sponsored kelp biology course in Chile. Pacific Seaweeds produced with Bridgette Clarkson is a best-seller and award winner. He has been honoured by the naming of a diatom genus, Druehlago, a kelp species, Sacharina druehlii, and for a short time a kelp genus, Druehlia fistulosa. Presently, he and his wife Rae Hopkins reside in Bamfield where they continue marketing CKR kelp and servicing kelp-interested folks. Hobby-wise Louis is working on his fourth novel and fighting off the ravages of old age, and of course, kelping.
Rae Hopkins
Rae brings 35 years of cooking expertise for athletic teams, restaurants, and marine stations to CKR. She and Louis met at Friday Harbor Laboratories and soon the Canadian Kelp product line blossomed. Rae's favorite Bamfield activities include yoga, gardening and creating in the kitchen. Not sure what to do with your kelp? Try one of Rae's recipes for some kelp inspiration! And if you have a recipe you want to share, contact Rae. From creating kelp dishes, accounting, ordering supplies, and harvesting, Rae has done it all! She keeps us running and always makes sure the kelp arrives on time!
Amy McConnell
Amy majored in biology and minored in statistics at Simon Fraser University. She has worked in the aquaculture industry since 2014 and joined in the kelp world in 2018, leading wild kelp harvests and managing a kelp nursery. She has worked on various biological systems in the field and lab, including studying the impacts of salmon farms on wild salmon, participating in long-term zooplankton population monitoring, and developing shellfish husbandry protocols. Amy takes a leading role in Canadian Kelp Research’s consulting and in-house research. Environmental issues play a leading role in her drive to work with kelp.
