Sunflower Sea Stars make a comeback on North Coast Beaches in 2024
In Summer 2024, there were several sightings of sunflower sea stars at Cape Falcon Marine Reserve and nearby beaches. This is an important ecological observance because there has been widespread concern about sunflower sea stars going extinct because of Sea Star Wasting Syndrome (SSWS). The disease—first observed in the Pacific Ocean on the west coast of North America in 2013—impacted approximately 20 species of sea stars from Mexico to Alaska.
The first sighting took place in April, during a SCUBA survey performed by researchers from the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife. They spotted two adult sunflower sea stars in Cape Falcon Marine Reserve. Then, in late June, NCLC’s Land and Sea Stewardship Assistant Mylasia Miklas saw a juvenile sunflower sea star while working on the Tidepool Ambassador Program (TAP) at the marine reserve site. NCLC also holds an annual Beachy Keen BioBlitz at a beach along the Cape Falcon Marine Reserve. This year, it took place at the tidepools in Manzanita, and numerous sunflower stars were observed and documented by BioBlitz participants. Read More