Coal miners of old used to bring canaries into their mines to warn them of foul air conditions which would endanger the lives of the miners. Like canaries, the sea stars, commonly referred to as starfish, have been disappearing from tidepools and the depths of oceans from Mexico to Alaska and around the globe since the early 2013. Estimates indicate that nearly five billion sea stars have fallen victim to a condition known as Sea Star Wasting Disease (SSWD).

Similar to cases of leprosy, SSWD starts with lesions on the body of a sea star, progressing to the point which causes body fragmentation and eventually death. The origins and causes for the disease have not been fully discovered, but marine biologists and researchers have noted a rise of two degrees Fahrenheit along the West Coast of North America, a decreased pH factor, pollution, and other chemical and physical parameters. Further research suggest the disease can be attributed to the pathogenic bacterium, Vibrio pectenicida.

Latest studies show that approximately 20 species of sea stars have fallen victim to SSWD. Initially, the disease was found in sea stars in wild tide pools and ocean depths. Next to be affected were sea stars on display in open ocean water systems, a system that directly draws sea water from an oceanic source. Eventually, the disease was found in aquariums using closed water systems, a system utilizing a mixture of fresh water, salt, and other minerals, to simulate natural salt water. It is believed that the victims in the closed water system aquariums, were due to the inability to quarantine specimens who were exposed to an unfamiliar pathogen before being introduced to the exhibit.

There is no exact date as to when SSWD began, but by 2018, an estimated five billion sea stars from around the globe fell victim to the disease. There is probably a no more evident impact on the function extinction, a 99% loss, of the sunflower sea star population extending from waters along coast from Mexico’s Baja peninsula up to waters along the coast of Washington.

Sunflower sea stars are generally found near the surface to depths of 100 feet below the surface. Populations off the coast of British Columbia can be found as deep as 1,300 feet. They can grow to be as large as three feet diameter and can have 16 or more limbs. Sunflower sea stars are predatory creatures feeding on sea urchins, clams, molting crabs, octopus, wolf eels and fish. It is their voracious appetite for purple sea urchins that play a vital role in maintaining the ecological balance of our kelp forest.

The creation of giant kelp strand requires that the algae establish a type of root looking structure referred to as a holdfast. The sunflower sea stars serve as protector for the holdfast by keeping populations of urchins in balance allowing the kelp forest to maintain its own ecosystem that serves as the life support system for of a variety of small fishes and other small marine creatures.

Many of us who have lived along our coastline remember the giant kelp forests that extended along the California coast. As time progressed, the reduction in the sunflower sea star population played a major role in loss of these underwater vines.

*Photo provided by National Park Service*

Primarily urchins rely on the kelp drift to supply their food, but when supplies dwindle, urchins turn their attention to the kelp’s holdfast. Without a sunflower sea star population, it takes little time for the urchins to devour the holdfast, turning the once plentiful ecosystem into an aquatic desert. This vast wasteland can no longer support the urchin population, and they die of starvation. The effects do not stop with the urchin population, for any break in the oceanic food chain impacts the lives of all sea creatures.

From the human perspective, kelp forest play a vital role in converting carbon dioxide into oxygen. Additionally, kelp forest can serve as a natural breakwater and prevent coastal erosion.

In parts of California our marine wastelands are seeing a resurgence because of the reduction in the urchin population. The absence of the urchin population allows the kelp forest an opportunity to reestablish itself. Although there is no presence of sunflower sea stars, our kelp forest are protected from urchins by other natural predators including, spiny lobsters, sheepshead fishes, and is some of portions of our state, sea otters.

Although these predators are assisting with the reestablishment of California’s kelp forest, their territories and numbers are limited. To truly reestablish the kelp forest ecosystems to a level that will benefit our ocean ecosystems and our environment, it is essential the sunflower sea star populations return to their previous levels.

Fortunately, in 2018, a collective effort of researchers and scientists in California, Washington, and Alaska established the Pycnopodia Recovery Working Group led by the Nature Conservancy.

Among the interested collective was Vince Christian an environmental engineer with a master’s degree in marine biology from Moss Landing Marine Laboratory. He was inspired to create his own marine life laboratory, the Sunflower Star Laboratory (SSL), in his garage in Pebble Beach, California. Christian dedicated his work to support the recovery of sunflower sea stars in California. The strategy involved incorporating sunflower star culture protocol from Friday Harbor Labs in Washington that was developed from a protocol that was followed to reestablish the white abalone population in southern California.

In late 2021, the SSL grew from a one-man operation into a non-profit organization with ten founding board members consisting of researchers, marine conversation professionals, project managers and environmental educators. In 2024, SSL expanded their laboratory operations to a warehouse in a small coastal area on the Monterey Bay known as Moss Landing.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA), Pacific Coast Ocean Recovery initiative sparked a more concentrated effort on restoring the sunflower sea star population along the California coastline. Facilitated by The Nature Conservancy, the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA), Saving Animals From Extinction (SAFE) program partners; California Academy of Sciences and the Aquarium of the Pacific. The SAFE, Sunflower Sea Star Program is co-led by the Aquarium of the Pacific and the Henry Doorly Zoo and Aquarium in the city of Omaha, Nebraska and involves AZA and non-AZA partners to support recovery research, animal husbandry, population management, and educational outreach for this species and the ecosystems they inhabit.

According to Ashley Kidd, Conservation Project Manager for SSL, “On Valentine’s Day in 2024 a successful spawning event was conducted at the Birch Aquarium at Scripp’s Institution of Oceanography with a male and a female sunflower sea stars.”

*A growing Sunflower Sea Star embryo can be seen in this drop of water. Photo provided by Ian Sedgebarth*

Kidd describes the event, “Sea stars engage in a broadcast spawning activity to produce fertile eggs. The event occurs when male sea stars release their sperm and females release their eggs into their aquatic environment, cross fertilize, resulting in fertilized eggs.”

The collection of the fertilized eggs, fondly dubbed the Cupid Cohort, was divided among California SAFE members, Aquarium of the Pacific, Cabrillo Marine Aquarium, Birch Aquarium at Scripps Institute of Oceanography, California Academy of Sciences, and SSL. The shared information gained among these partners is helping to develop population management plans to support research into monitoring and recovering this species in the wild.

Kidd remarks, “It is wonderful to have participated in the creation of the SAFE sunflower sea star, and seen how it has injected momentum into the restoration of this critically endangered species. The Nature Conservancy was instrumental in supporting our vision of building a strong foundation of collaborators, which is important for any conservation initiative. I am excited to see the inclusion and commitment of so many California partners, which will allow us to advance research in several aspects of sunflower star culture and restoration in the state.”

*Kidd is in the process of examining the marine environment for Sunflower Sea Stars and the impact of their absence on the aquatic ecosystem.*
*Photo provided by Ashley Kidd*

“It has been an amazing few years of collaborating and learning that led to this spawning. We have a huge team behind us, both national and international, working towards the conservation of the sunflower sea star. This is a milestone moment for zoos and aquariums and the SAFE program. The future of the sunflower sea star just got a little brighter,” said Jenifer Burney, Aquarium of the Pacific senior aquarist and co-chair of the AZA’s SAFE Sunflower Sea Star Program.

In the Pacific Northwest researchers are conducting field reintroduction experiments at Friday Harbor Labs in Washington. The initial released populations are small and are being closely monitored. If all goes well, different populations of sunflower sea stars will be introduced to other designated locations where they too will be closely monitored.

If all goes well in the Pacific Northwest, researchers and scientists in California are hoping that the sunflower sea star populations can be restored along our coastline.

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Steve Tabor

This South Bay native’s photographic journey began after receiving his first 35 mm film camera upon earning his Bachelor of Arts degree. As a classroom teacher he used photography to share the world and his experiences with his students. Steve began his photography career photographing coastal landscapes and marine life. His experiences have led him to include portraits and group photography, special event photography as well as live performance and athletics in his portfolio. As a contributor and photojournalist, he has published stories about the people, places and events in and around the Palos Verdes Peninsula and beyond.

Interested in seeing more of Steve’s work, visit website at: www.stevetaborimages.com