Tag Archives: Ochre Sea Star

Sea Stars – Wolves of the Ocean floor

Kelly Fretwell from the Hakai Institute recently described sea stars as wolves of the ocean floor.

The topic came up when I mentioned that they prey upon the oysters in Gorge Harbour, on Cortes Island. 

Julia Rendall, President of the Bee Islets Growers Corporation, said they normally eat about a third of her crop. The bottom clusters are “all chewed, eaten.”  She remembers the summer that Sea Star Wasting Disease reached the Gorge.

“That was the year I had the very best harvest, for shuck oysters,” said Rendall … I got about $8,000 a raft instead of $5,000.”

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Sea Star Wasting Disease

Sunflower Sea Stars are one of the largest and fastest sea stars in the world’s oceans and a decade ago they were a common sight from Mexico to Alaska. Now this once abundant predator is missing from most of its range. The Global population has shrunk by over 90%, a decline that recently earned them the ICUN Red List status of “critically endangered.” 

“So what happened?”

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