Researchers use a variety of methods to analyze fish population recruitment in nearshore habitats around the globe, each with their own benefits and weaknesses. Originally developed by Amman (2004), the Standard Monitoring Unit for the Recruitment of Fishes (SMURF) is a device that allows for sampling of fish recruits in nearshore habitats in a way that is cost-effective and passive. Considering the recent progression of Alaska’s aquaculture industry, we deployed SMURF devices on mooring lines and used nets for SMURF collection at kelp aquaculture sites, setting the groundwork for a longer study to understand how kelp farms influence fish species diversity and abundance throughout the kelp harvest cycle. We deployed SMURFs near the surface and at depth in a kelp farm site and similar control site. After three days, we retrieved the SMURFs and identified and measured the fish species inside, while also conducting underwater visual surveys of fish and invertebrate species to collect data on biotic communities in the area before kelp is planted. This process will be repeated after kelp is planted, while kelp is growing, and again after the kelp has been harvested. In the pre-kelp phase of this study, SMURFs found small invertebrates but no fish, while visual surveys found a variety of benthic fish and invertebrate species. These early results offer a foundation from which to view the seasonal habitat provisioning impacts of kelp aquaculture, especially on species of commercial and regulatory importance, in Alaska’s Inside Passage.