Sunflower sea stars are a type of starfish, endangered from the open waters, and now they're being grown in a laboratory in Moss Landing.This happened after a disease called Sea Star Wasting Syndrome (SSWS) killed off most of its population in Western America, back in 2013."It pretty much just liquifies them right on the spot and it can take anywhere from a couple of days to not much longer. And that's problematic because sea stars are a key predator in kelp forest systems," April Ridlon, a Marine Ecologist at the Monterey Bay Aquarium said.In other words, the loss of this predator caused the number of purple sea urchins to explode, allowing them to feast on the kelp forest.At the same time, a marine heat wave known as "the Blob" also impacted the kelp forest, upending the ecosystem even further."Our studies estimate anywhere between 55 up to a 75% decline of kelp forests and up north the estimates are even more grim... up to 95%," Ridlon said.Vince Christian, the Laboratory Manager at Sunflower Star Laboratory, is an engineer by trade and an avid diver. He noticed the decline of the kelp forest in Monterey Bay during his frequent diving trips. Eager to find a solution, Christian reached out to the community and assembled a team of local scientists to create a non-profit. "The thing that excites me the most is how this all came together as far as the community, this is a community project, all the work is being done by volunteers. The people saw a problem and they got together to solve it and being a part of that is really rewarding," Christian said.Christian and his team started their work in his garage before funding brought them to Sunflower Star Laboratory in Moss Landing. Here, water-filled bins are home to nine-month-old sunflower sea stars."Anything that we learn about these is gonna be really important for knowing how to grow them in an aquacultural setting because we're going to need to grow lots of them if we want to put them back in the ocean," Christian explained.Christian and his team of experts study the sea stars daily, learning their habits, diet, and behavior. "They have something called a chemical queue which is just a chemical excreted off of them, it's very mysterious no one really knows much about it just that it exists because their prey can detect it. My research was just trying to find out a little bit more of the chemical itself," Melissa Andrade, an intern Aquarist at Sunflower Star Laboratory said.The sea stars will need another two years to reach full maturity before the next steps take place to reproduce another generation.Christian shared he is optimistic about bringing this creature back into the wild and is doing his part to help save the kelp forest. The laboratory also hosts tours on the weekend to give the community a chance to see the stars in person and learn more about them.See more coverage of top Central Coast stories here | Download our app | Download Very Local
Sunflower sea stars are a type of starfish, endangered from the open waters, and now they're being grown in a laboratory in Moss Landing.
This happened after a disease called Sea Star Wasting Syndrome (SSWS) killed off most of its population in Western America, back in 2013.
"It pretty much just liquifies them right on the spot and it can take anywhere from a couple of days to not much longer. And that's problematic because sea stars are a key predator in kelp forest systems," April Ridlon, a Marine Ecologist at the Monterey Bay Aquarium said.
In other words, the loss of this predator caused the number of purple sea urchins to explode, allowing them to feast on the kelp forest.
At the same time, a marine heat wave known as "the Blob" also impacted the kelp forest, upending the ecosystem even further.
"Our studies estimate anywhere between 55 up to a 75% decline of kelp forests and up north the estimates are even more grim... up to 95%," Ridlon said.
Vince Christian, the Laboratory Manager at Sunflower Star Laboratory, is an engineer by trade and an avid diver. He noticed the decline of the kelp forest in Monterey Bay during his frequent diving trips.
Eager to find a solution, Christian reached out to the community and assembled a team of local scientists to create a non-profit.
"The thing that excites me the most is how this all came together as far as the community, this is a community project, all the work is being done by volunteers. The people saw a problem and they got together to solve it and being a part of that is really rewarding," Christian said.
Christian and his team started their work in his garage before funding brought them to Sunflower Star Laboratory in Moss Landing. Here, water-filled bins are home to nine-month-old sunflower sea stars.
"Anything that we learn about these is gonna be really important for knowing how to grow them in an aquacultural setting because we're going to need to grow lots of them if we want to put them back in the ocean," Christian explained.
Christian and his team of experts study the sea stars daily, learning their habits, diet, and behavior.
"They have something called a chemical queue which is just a chemical excreted off of them, it's very mysterious no one really knows much about it just that it exists because their prey can detect it. My research was just trying to find out a little bit more of the chemical itself," Melissa Andrade, an intern Aquarist at Sunflower Star Laboratory said.
The sea stars will need another two years to reach full maturity before the next steps take place to reproduce another generation.
Christian shared he is optimistic about bringing this creature back into the wild and is doing his part to help save the kelp forest.
The laboratory also hosts tours on the weekend to give the community a chance to see the stars in person and learn more about them.