Kelco Aerial Photograph Collection, circa 1931-1992 (SMC 129)

OFF SITE STORAGE: COLLECTION STORED OFF-SITE. ALLOW ONE WEEK FOR RETRIEVAL OF MATERIALS.

Extent: 4.5 Linear feet (8 archives boxes, 1 flat box), + 17.326 GB of digital files

Digital Content

All images in Series 3) SCANNED IMAGES are exclusively available digitally. Due to copyright constraints, digital content is restricted to UC San Diego IP addresses (including UCSD-PROTECTED network for wireless, and VPN or Proxy for off-campus access).

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The collection consists of black and white, color, and infrared aerial photography of kelp beds and coastline from Baja California to Point Conception.

The Kelco Company (est. 1929, San Diego) was the world's largest commercial producer of algin, a derivative of alginic acid used as a stabilizing, suspending and gelling agent in a variety of food and industrial applications. Kelco's fleet harvested giant kelp (Macrocystis pyrifera) and rockweed (Ascophyllum nodosum) from the waters off Baja and Southern and Central California to procure alginic acid. To facilitate its harvesting operations, the company conducted aerial surveys of kelp beds regulated by the California Department of Fish and Game. This visual survey information was used to direct vessels to mature areas of kelp canopy that had sufficient density for harvesting.

Kelco Company was purchased by Monsanto in 1995 and became part of their Kelco Alginates division. Kelco Alginates merged with International Specialty Products in 1999 and the new company was named ISP Alginates. The business shut down its San Diego operations in 2005 citing increased permit, regulation, and energy costs.

The collection consists of black and white, color, and infrared aerial photography of kelp beds and coastline from Baja California to Point Conception. The order and numbering systems utilized in the original survey project binders were preserved where possible within folders.

Arranged in three series: 1) SLIDES, 2) PHOTOGRAPHS, and 3) SCANNED IMAGES.

Container List

SLIDES

Scope and Content of Series

Series 1) SLIDES: Color images in slide mounts arranged by the general geographic areas of surveys taken between 1973-1992 in Central California and Baja California.

Aerial Surveys of Central California

Box 1 Folder 1-2
Carmel, 1973-1976
Box 1 Folder 3-4
Estero to Monterey, 1978
Box 1 Folder 5
Central California, 1982 August 29
Box 2 Folder 1-2
Central California, 1982 August 29

Pigeon Point to Pismo Beach

Box 2 Folder 3-5
1983 September-October
Box 3 Folder 1-4
1984 August 25, 26
Box 4 Folder 1-5
1985 September 12, 13
Box 5 Folder 1-6
1986 September 10, 15, 28

Aerial Surveys of Baja California

Box 6 Folder 1-5
Aer-Mex, 1976-1992
Box 6 Folder 6-8
Tijuana to Punta San Carlos, 1985 July 15
Box 7 Folder 1-2
Tijuana to Sacramento Reef, 1984 June-August
Box 7 Folder 3
Isla Todos Santos, Punta Banda, San Quentin, 1981 September 9

PHOTOGRAPHS

Scope and Content of Series

Series 2) PHOTOGRAPHS: Contains black and white, primarily 8x10 inch photographic prints arranged by the general geographic areas of the surveys taken between 1946-1949 in Central California and Baja California.

Aerial surveys of Central California

Box 8 Folder 1
Carpinteria to Point Conception, 1960

Photos numbered 45-81 on verso.

Box 8 Folder 2
San Clemente, San Nicolas, and Santa Rosa Islands, 1956-1957

Photos numbered 82-117, 125-128, 131-134 on verso.

Box 8 Folder 3
Point Conception, 1957

Photos numbered 118-119, 122-124 on verso.

Box 8 Folder 4
La Jolla, Dana Point, San Mateo, 1957

Photos numbered 120-121, 129-130 on verso.

Box 8 Folder 5
Santa Barbara to Point Loma, 1954

Photos numbered 169-206 on verso.

Box 8 Folder 6
Los Angeles County, 1950-1955

Photos numbered 305-332 on verso.

Box 8 Folder 7
Santa Barbara County, 1955

Photos numbered 136-168 on verso.

Box 8 Folder 8
Point Loma to Point Arguello, 1962 August 8

Photos numbered 333-402 on verso.

Box 8 Folder 9-11
Channel Islands, 1955, 1958
Oversize FB-477 Folder 4
San Diego County, 1949
Oversize FB-477 Folder 5
Orange County, 1949
Oversize FB-477 Folder 6
Unidentified, 1946

Aerial surveys of Baja California

Box 6 Folder 5
Aer-Mex, North Channel Island, 1988-1989
Box 7 Folder 4
Bahia Soledad, 1950-1958
Box 7 Folder 5
Cabo Colnett, 1951
Box 7 Folder 6
Coronado Islands, 1955 May 17
Box 7 Folder 7
Ensenada (South), 1951
Box 7 Folder 8
Halfway House, 1958
Box 7 Folder 9
Punta Banda, 1951
Box 7 Folder 10
Punta Clara, 1950
Box 7 Folder 11
Punta Descanso, 1950-1958
Box 7 Folder 12
Punta Salsipuedes, 1950, 1958
Box 7 Folder 13
Punta San Isidro, 1950-1951
Box 7 Folder 14
Punta San Jacinto, 1950-1951
Box 7 Folder 15
Punta San Jose, 1958
Box 7 Folder 16
Punta San Miguel, 1951
Box 7 Folder 17
Punta Santo Tomas, 1950-1958
Box 7 Folder 18
San Telmo, 1958
Box 7 Folder 19
Rosario Bay, 1950-1951
Box 7 Folder 20
Miscellaneous, 1955

Photos are 3 x 5 inch black and white prints layered and glued to a piece of paper.

SCANNED IMAGES

Scope and Content of Series

Series 3) SCANNED IMAGES: This series consists of unique digital images scanned from analog slides. These images exist only in digital format and are not scans of materials from Series 1 and 2.

Due to copyright constraints, this digital content is restricted to UC San Diego IP addresses (including UCSD-PROTECTED network for wireless, and VPN or Proxy for off-campus access). UC San Diego users may view digital content by clicking on the Digital Collections link at the top of the finding aid under "Digital Content."