A mysterious disease that kills billions of starfish and disrupts the marine environment

After a pioneering study led by Oregon State University on the starfish population of the sunflower sea, starfish was included in the list of endangered species by the International Union for Conservation of Nature, according to the published press release. On the university's website on December 11th.

The study found that the population of the sunflower sea star, known scientifically as "Pycnopodia helianthoides", decreased by 90.6%, and it was estimated that up to 5.75 billion animals died due to starfish wasting disease, the causes of which are not known until now.

In addition, the research yielded no indications of a recovery in starfish populations in any area during the past five to seven years since the outbreak.

Tragic collapses

More than 60 institutions have joined Oregon and The Nature Conservancy in this study on the sunflower starfish, which plays an important role in preserving kelp forests, thus preserving marine life along the west coast from Alaska to Baja, California.

The sunflower star population has experienced catastrophic collapses due to an epidemic of marine wildlife, referred to as the "Sea Star Wasting Syndrome", which began in 2013.

An estimated 5.75 billion animals have died from starfish wasting disease (UricAlt).

"The sea stars were easy to find," says Sarah Gravim of Oregon State University and the lead author of the study.

Unfortunately, however, the chances of finding one are now virtually non-existent in most of the contiguous United States.

"This list is one step before extinction, and I do not think it will return without assistance such as closed breeding, resettlement, limitation of direct hunting and unintended bycatch," Gravim added.

Scientists say that the sunflower starfish has become almost non-existent in Mexico and the United States, and none of the starfish have been seen in Mexico since 2016, nor in California since 2018, while small numbers have been observed in Oregon and Washington since 2018.

Purple sea urchin

The sunflower starfish is a major predator of the Purple Sea Urchins, and the decline in starfish populations has led to an explosion in the numbers of this hedgehog in many areas.

Its abundance is linked to declining kelp forests that are already facing major challenges due to marine heat waves and climate change, making the future uncertain for ecosystems that provide a home for thousands of marine animals and help support coastal economies.

The decline in starfish populations led to an explosion in the numbers of the purple hedgehog, which negatively affects the kelp forests (Euric Alart).

"We need to think creatively about how to preserve the health of our surroundings," said Sarah Hamilton, of Oregon State University and co-author of the study. While reducing carbon emissions is the most urgent need, rebuilding key predator populations, such as The sunflower sea star could be an important part of the puzzle too. "

The IUCN Red List is an important resource for guiding conservation and species conservation measures, policy decisions and action plans, and assessing the risk of extinction of a species if no action is taken to protect it.

The Red List of Threatened Species was established in 1963 by the International Union for Conservation of Nature, which is the world's official conservation authority.