Skip to content
Science
Link copied to clipboard

Millions of starfish killed by a mysterious illness

A mysterious illness being called "Starfish Wasting Syndrome" has claimed the lives of millions of starfish along the U.S. West Coast from Washington to California.

A mysterious illness being called "Starfish Wasting Syndrome" has claimed the lives of millions of starfish along the U.S. West Coast from Washington to California. Scientists have been aware of the new disease outbreak since June 2013, but have yet been able to identify the cause.

The sickness begins on the starfish's arms, causing white lesions and the halt of their regenerative ability. The lesions spread quickly and within days the sea star is dead.

Pete Raimondi, chair of the department of ecology and evolutionary biology, at the University of California, Santa Cruz, told AFP:

"What we currently think is likely happening is that there is a pathogen, like a parasite or a virus or a bacteria, that is infecting the sea stars and that compromises in some way their immune system."

The mortality rate is a staggering 95 percent in populations hit with the disease. In a sliver of silver lining, not all sea stars are affected, but purple sea star and the sunflower sea star are the most affected species.

This phenomenon is not new to scientists nor is it limited to the West Coast. Similar outbreaks have been observed in East Coast starfish in 2013 and other cases go as far back as 1983. However, the affected populations were much smaller.

Scientists are taking reports from the public (dubbed "citizen scientists") and performing genetic sequencing on sea star specimens to help determine what's to blame. The public can help by taking photos of sick star fish they encounter and sharing them on social media sites using #sickstarfish.

Check out the video below for a more in depth look on this mysterious epidemic.

[AFP]