Sea stars still struggling off B.C. five years after massive die-off

VANCOUVER — Reports that the sea star population was rebounding after a bout of wasting disease appear to have been overly optimistic, says a new report from the Coastal Ocean Research Institute.

The Vancouver Aquarium’s research group believes the wasting disease that first attacked the sea star population in 2013 is continuing, with several species still in decline.

“The current status of sea stars varies widely by species and location,” writes report author Jessica Schultz.

“Although there are anecdotal reports of recovery, the frequency of sea star sightings continues to decline for many species, and signs of wasting persist. At the same time, sea star distribution is increasingly patchy and abundance is quite variable.”

The die-off, which might be the largest wildlife die-off event in recorded history according to the report, has hurt the health of other species. For example, in the absence of predator sea stars, sea urchins have been gobbling up the kelp beds that provide food, oxygen and cover for a host of other species, including fish and prawns.

The report also mentions an “unusual boom” in juvenile sea stars of several species in 2014 and 2015.

“Unfortunately the abundance was short-lived,” wrote Schultz.

“The juveniles disappeared over a period of weeks to months, and no evidence of their abundance has so far been reflected in adult populations.”