It’s not your typical “wanted” poster, but one of our team members spotted this on the coast north of San Francisco.
The sunflower sea star population was decimated by Sea Star Wasting Disease starting in 2013. Read the blog. Labs along the west coast are working to grow the sea stars in captivity to replenish the population. And researchers also hope that there are refuges where disease-free sunflower stars are thriving.
That hope is why there are posters informing people to keep a lookout for the sunflower stars. Scientists are hoping to engage people who visit tidepools or scuba dive to be Citizen Scientists by reporting any observations of the sea star. Citizen Scientists can be more eyes, contributing to research and knowledge about these endangered animals.
