SANTA CRUZ, Calif. – A mysterious and sudden epidemic is hitting sea stars along the West Coast from Alaska to San Diego.
Scientists call it sea star wasting because the starfish can literally disintegrate into goo in a matter of days.
Pete Raimondi, a biologist and professor at University of California-Santa Cruz, is leading the research efforts to save the starfish.
"We've been getting lots and lots of reports from the public,” he says. “You know, sea stars are pretty conspicuous. Most people, when they go out to tide pools, that's one of the things they see and they look for.
“And when the disease hits there's no missing it – things are just decomposing and dripping, and they just look awful.”
The wasting disease has killed up to 95 percent of a particular species of sea star in some tide pool populations.
Raimondi says scientists aren't sure what's causing the disease or if it will get worse.
He says the situation is especially troubling because starfish are a keystone species, meaning their health is an indicator of the overall health of the marine ecosystem.
Raimondi points out this could have a dramatic effect on the Pacific Coast ecosystem.
"They're oftentimes one of the top predators and so, they tend to eat a lot and there tend to be a lot of them,” he explains. “And so, they really can control prey populations and when they go away, in theory, the prey will not be eaten."
The California Ocean Science Trust and other state agency partners are funding Raimondi's research.
He says California was able to respond so quickly because the state has invested in Marine Protected Areas and the scientific monitoring necessary to understand how they work.
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A new bill aims to reduce the number of sea lions, sharks, rays, skates and giant sea bass dying off the coast of Southern California in huge set gillnets the size of 20 football fields, weighted to the sea floor.
Right now, set gillnets are banned in most state waters and Assembly Bill 2220 would extend the ban to a 3-mile radius around the Channel Islands.
Caitlynn Birch, Pacific marine scientist for Oceana, said the bill also stops crews profiting from certain species accidentally caught in the nets.
"It will remove the exemption that allows set gill net fisheries to incidentally catch and sell great white sharks and giant sea bass, which are both protected species and not allowed to take commercially or recreationally for any other fisheries in California," Birch pointed out.
Opponents cited concerns about the effect on fishing crews' bottom line. About 30 fishermen still have active set gillnet permits in Southern California. The state has stopped issuing new permits and the bill would make existing permits nontransferable.
The bill would also give the California Department of Fish and Wildlife the authority to require independent monitors on fishing boats but would not make them mandatory. Right now it is up to fishing crews to self-report when they accidentally catch a protected species.
"Having the authority to place third-party observers on vessels would allow for the collection of unbiased data on specifically bycatch, which is being thrown overboard at sea and isn't otherwise able to be tracked," Birch explained.
Supporters contended more selective hook and line fishing methods have significantly less bycatch and typically yield higher prices for fish considered better quality seafood.
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Good news for fishing crews and marine conservationists: Large fishing grounds are reopening, while other areas receive new protections.
Some 4,500 miles of ocean fishing grounds off Southern California are now open to recreational and commercial fishing for bottom-dwelling species, and 428 miles of coral and sponge habitat are closed.
Geoff Shester, California campaign director and senior scientist for the nonprofit Oceana, said his organization has spent years mapping the seafloor, discovering colorful coral beds he said are "right out of a Dr. Seuss book."
"These areas have some of the richest gardens of underwater deep-sea corals and sponges anywhere," Shester reported. "We wanted to make sure that these areas had special protection, so that no bottom-contact fishing can damage some of these really sensitive 'redwoods of the deep sea.'"
The fishing grounds in question had been closed for 20 years to protect a species known as the cowcod rockfish, which has recovered from previous overfishing. The entire area is still closed to bottom trawling but the hook-and-line method and groundfish bottom longlines and traps are now permitted.
The areas now reopening include prime fishing grounds off San Diego. The eight areas to be newly protected are near the Channel Islands and far offshore seamounts, 100 miles from the coast.
Shester pointed out Oceana collaborated with commercial fishing groups and the State Department of Fish and Wildlife to determine the areas most worthy of extra protection.
"They went into place without opposition, because it was done in a thoughtful way where there were compromises made and we brought data and science forward," Shester recounted. "It's an example of how fishing and conservation groups can work together to support the shared goals of healthy fishing, as well as protecting seafloor habitats."
Deep-sea corals and sponges are a crucial part of the marine ecosystem, sheltering many species from predators and serving as feeding areas and nurseries. They are among the most long-lived creatures in the ocean.
Disclosure: Oceana contributes to our fund for reporting on Climate Change/Air Quality, Endangered Species and Wildlife, Environment, and Oceans. If you would like to help support news in the public interest,
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Bull Kelp in South and Central Puget Sound has declined more than 90% over the last 150 years - and eelgrass meadows severely declined as well, according to a new report just delivered to lawmakers.
The Washington Department of Natural Resources' new plan aims to reverse the losses.
The DNR's Co-lead on the Kelp and Eelgrass Health and Conservation Plan Cynthia Harbison said the goal is to conserve and recover at least 10,000 acres of kelp and eelgrass habitat by 2040.
"So, we're at the beginning of this process," said Harbison. "In the next few years, we are going to be working to gather local knowledge and identify specific conservation and recovery sites."
Three general areas will host pilot projects: Grays Harbor, South Puget Sound, and the eastern strait of Juan de Fuca.
The DNR will convene public stakeholder meetings early next year - go to their website to sign up to be notified by email for details.
Harbison said eelgrass and kelp are crucial habitat for many species, especially juvenile salmon and Dungeness crab, and can help in the fight against climate change.
"Eelgrass is really good at storing carbon," said Harbison, "and it can also provide some physical shoreline stabilization with the sediment and also ways reduction when there's big storm events coming in. Kelp can also do that as well."
Eelgrass and kelp are under stress from rising water temperatures due to climate change, as well as invasive species, water pollution and shoreline development.
Support for this reporting was provided by The Pew Charitable Trusts.
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