Dissolving starfish in the Puget Sound

[NWDiverdown]

I had heard about the dissolving starfish up in canada, but have begun to notice them in large numbers down here as well. As an instructor, I'm out in the water a few times a week. I was completely taken aback by the rapid decline of these creatures. Cove 2 is full of these dying stars, and whatever the cause, it is beginning to affect the spiny sea cucumbers. I've heard many theories (including Fukushima) but nobody seems to have a concrete answer. I wonder if this is a 'canary in the coal mine' situation and is a warning for worse things to come. Does anyone have any info on this?

 

[coldwaterlloyd]

It appears the acid levels in our local waters , Puget Sound / Juan de Fuca Strait , have been increasing annually .
The first to be affected were the Wolf Eels .
The jelly fish are thriving in the higher acidic levels . It is a global problem and is sad indeed .

 

[fisheater]

We're seeing the same problem on Monterey. No word yet from the scientific community on what's going on.

It's quite distressing.


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[TSandM]

I don't think anybody knows yet what is killing the starfish. Their populations apparently had boomed -- whether it's food supply, a virus, or a toxin, as far as I know, is yet to be determined. The problem began up in BC, so I doubt it's anything to do with Puget Sound specifically. It seems to be headed south.

 

[MaxBottomtime]

We had the same thing in SoCal this week. It seems to only be affecting the Sunflower stars here. Other stars were reported in Monterey.

Bat stars were enjoying the feast

Here's a report about the same thing happening in B.C.
Massive Starfish Die-Off Baffles Scientists ? News Watch

 

[fisheater]

In Monterey, it appears to have started with the sunflower stars, then the giant spined and now the bat stars.


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[drbill]

Wow... I was only aware of the sunflower stars. Didn't realize it is also affecting other species. Sounds like an environmental issue to me, but who knows. During El Ninos down here in SoCal, elevated temperatures often lead to mass sea urchin and starfish wasting. The deaths Phil is seeing over off the mainland are in colder waters though.

 

[fisheater]

Even colder in Monterey and then colder in the PNW.

Very weird.

 

[drbill]

As a marine biologist, I question the acidity hypothesis. To me it is doubtful if pH were the issue that the sea stars would make it to maturity and then suddenly waste away unless there was a sudden change in pH. Seems more likely to be a pathogen or an environmental variable subject to more rapid fluctuations.

 

[Hank49]

I would think that if it were environmental, other organisms would be suffering also. Not just star fish.

The University of Arizona has a lab that does disease analysis for shrimp. Maybe send samples there. Dr, Don Lightner. They do intensive PCR (polymerase chain reaction) testing and have found numerous shrimp viruses over the years. Moving shrimp around the world transferred viruses from tolerant species to non tolerant species and had much the same effect as when the first Europeans sailed into the south Pacific, killing many natives with flue and other viruses. Could be the same thing happening with the stars?