2. Diving

Sea Star Wasting Disease

Photos of recent sea star (commonly called Starfish) mortality due to Seastar Wasting Disease (aka Sea star Wasting Syndrome) in Puget Sound Washington, Howe Sound BC, and other areas. Please note photographers are listed on each photograph, and photos are ©2013 by the individual photographer, and may not be used without permission.
Report your observations to the Vancouver Aquarium and/or UC Santa Cruz:
http://www.vanaqua.org/act/research/sea-stars
http://www.eeb.ucsc.edu/pacificrockyintertidal/data-products/sea-star-wasting/index.html#track-disease
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Striped / Stimpson's Sunstar, Solaster stimpsoni, in advanced state of decay
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Striped / Stimpson's Sunstar, Solaster stimpsoni, in advanced state of decay

August 2014, Strawberry Island West, San Juan Islands Washington, Striped / Stimpson's Sunstar, Solaster stimpsoni, . There were no Sunflower Stars (Pycnopodia helianthoides) seen on any of our 4 dives this weekend. ©Janna Nichols, pnwfishlady@comcast.net

Seastar Wasting SyndromeSea Star Wasting DiseaseSan Juan IslandsWashington©Janna Nichols

  • Striped / Stimpson's Sunstar, Solaster stimpsoni
  • Striped / Stimpson's Sunstar, Solaster stimpsoni
  • Striped / Stimpson's Sunstar, Solaster stimpsoni
  • Morning / Dawson's Sunstar in early stages of deterioration.
  • Striped / Stimpson's Sunstar, Solaster stimpsoni, in advanced state of decay
  • Painted Anemone eating a diseased Stimpson's Sunstar
  • Morning / Dawson's Sunstar, Solaster dawsoni
  • Morning / Dawson's Sunstar, Solaster dawsoni in advanced stages of disease
  • Vermilion Star, Mediaster aequalis
  • After week of freezing which kept me out of water, (yes, I am getting old ), I returned to check on stars at Coupeville.<br /> Visibility is terrible, but I managed to survey some area where the most of the Mottled stars reside. I did not see any mass die-off,just few individuals, however, I noticed this time, that about dozen of the Evasterias were showing "bumps" on their arms,something I didn't notice before anywhere where I encountered them. I might mentioned that couple of "normal" shaped Evasterias were spawning , as was one lonely Plumose anemone. <br /> Could you enlighten me on these bodybuilding individuals ?<br /> Art/Photo ©2014 by Jan Kocian.
  • After week of freezing which kept me out of water, (yes, I am getting old ), I returned to check on stars at Coupeville.<br /> Visibility is terrible, but I managed to survey some area where the most of the Mottled stars reside. I did not see any mass die-off,<br /> just few individuals, however, I noticed this time, that about dozen of the Evasterias were showing "bumps" on their arms, something I didn't notice before anywhere where I encountered them. I might mentioned that couple of "normal" shaped Evasterias were spawning , as was one lonely Plumose anemone. <br /> Could you enlighten me on these bodybuilding individuals ?<br /> Art/Photo ©2014 by Jan Kocian.
  • Photo ©2014 by Peter Luckham, Porlier Pass, Jan 4th, 2014
  • Andy Lamb reports: Jim Hester sent me this image taken in the Victoria area recently. Definitely Solaster stimpsoni and. from my observations, this species has not been involved in a major way -- yet.<br /> Jan 4th, 2014. <br /> Photo ©2014 by Jim Hester
  • Another cycle of sea star surveys from Whidbey Island. The Langley Harbor, which managed to dodge the bullet for some time is now showing the beginnings of the dreaded wasting. With such large population of Sunflower stars, it will be interesting what the next visit there will show. On Monday, January 27, I surveyed two additional sites. From previous dives I knew Deception Pass has a rather small population of sea stars, but I was curious to see how they are faring. Unfortunately, most of the time currents are too strong to dive there and also the beach access for diving is closed in winter. I contacted the park ranger and he not only knew about the wasting syndrome but was very supportive of the idea to survey the situation in the Pass. So gates opened and I am happy to report that so far, the stars are doing fine. Small leak in drysuit did not dampen my joy of seeing the healthy population . On the way home I decided to check out a location I never dove before - under the old wharf at Coupeville. Most of the time the visibility there is less than good, but this Monday it was great, almost 15 feet. So I donned my wet undergarments again and jumped in, with the harbormaster's permission. I expected a short dive with not much to photograph, but the number of Mottled stars in the area was astounding. I never saw so many congregating so tightly. Counting them was quickly dismissed as impractical, so settle for “zillion” :)<br /> I saw signs of wasting stars, but they seemed to be concentrated in one area under the building and compared to the hordes of healthy ones around, seemed insignificant. Of course, it will be interesting to see what the future will bring. I was surprised to find that not one single Sunflower star joined the feast on mussels falling down from the overhead, which feeds the multitudes of stars below. Later, when I talked with the harbormaster, she said, that there were never Sunflower there. She said that she finds them in her crab traps away in other parts of Penn Cove, in the past she brought and released them at the wharf, but always they walked away...<br /> Art/Photo ©2014 by Jan Kocian.
  • Another cycle of sea star surveys from Whidbey Island. The Langley Harbor, which managed to dodge the bullet for some time is now showing the beginnings of the dreaded wasting. With such large population of Sunflower stars, it will be interesting what the next visit there will show. On Monday, January 27, I surveyed two additional sites. From previous dives I knew Deception Pass has a rather small population of sea stars, but I was curious to see how they are faring. Unfortunately, most of the time currents are too strong to dive there and also the beach access for diving is closed in winter. I contacted the park ranger and he not only knew about the wasting syndrome but was very supportive of the idea to survey the situation in the Pass. So gates opened and I am happy to report that so far, the stars are doing fine. Small leak in drysuit did not dampen my joy of seeing the healthy population . On the way home I decided to check out a location I never dove before - under the old wharf at Coupeville. Most of the time the visibility there is less than good, but this Monday it was great, almost 15 feet. So I donned my wet undergarments again and jumped in, with the harbormaster's permission. I expected a short dive with not much to photograph, but the number of Mottled stars in the area was astounding. I never saw so many congregating so tightly. Counting them was quickly dismissed as impractical, so settle for “zillion” :)<br /> I saw signs of wasting stars, but they seemed to be concentrated in one area under the building and compared to the hordes of healthy ones around, seemed insignificant. Of course, it will be interesting to see what the future will bring. I was surprised to find that not one single Sunflower star joined the feast on mussels falling down from the overhead, which feeds the multitudes of stars below. Later, when I talked with the harbormaster, she said, that there were never Sunflower there. She said that she finds them in her crab traps away in other parts of Penn Cove, in the past she brought and released them at the wharf, but always they walked away...<br /> Art/Photo ©2014 by Jan Kocian.
  • Another cycle of sea star surveys from Whidbey Island. The Langley Harbor, which managed to dodge the bullet for some time is now showing the beginnings of the dreaded wasting. With such large population of Sunflower stars, it will be interesting what the next visit there will show. On Monday, January 27, I surveyed two additional sites. From previous dives I knew Deception Pass has a rather small population of sea stars, but I was curious to see how they are faring. Unfortunately, most of the time currents are too strong to dive there and also the beach access for diving is closed in winter. I contacted the park ranger and he not only knew about the wasting syndrome but was very supportive of the idea to survey the situation in the Pass. So gates opened and I am happy to report that so far, the stars are doing fine. Small leak in drysuit did not dampen my joy of seeing the healthy population . On the way home I decided to check out a location I never dove before - under the old wharf at Coupeville. Most of the time the visibility there is less than good, but this Monday it was great, almost 15 feet. So I donned my wet undergarments again and jumped in, with the harbormaster's permission. I expected a short dive with not much to photograph, but the number of Mottled stars in the area was astounding. I never saw so many congregating so tightly. Counting them was quickly dismissed as impractical, so settle for “zillion” :)<br /> I saw signs of wasting stars, but they seemed to be concentrated in one area under the building and compared to the hordes of healthy ones around, seemed insignificant. Of course, it will be interesting to see what the future will bring. I was surprised to find that not one single Sunflower star joined the feast on mussels falling down from the overhead, which feeds the multitudes of stars below. Later, when I talked with the harbormaster, she said, that there were never Sunflower there. She said that she finds them in her crab traps away in other parts of Penn Cove, in the past she brought and released them at the wharf, but always they walked away...<br /> Art/Photo ©2014 by Jan Kocian.
  • Another cycle of sea star surveys from Whidbey Island. The Langley Harbor, which managed to dodge the bullet for some time is now showing the beginnings of the dreaded wasting. With such large population of Sunflower stars, it will be interesting what the next visit there will show. On Monday, January 27, I surveyed two additional sites. From previous dives I knew Deception Pass has a rather small population of sea stars, but I was curious to see how they are faring. Unfortunately, most of the time currents are too strong to dive there and also the beach access for diving is closed in winter. I contacted the park ranger and he not only knew about the wasting syndrome but was very supportive of the idea to survey the situation in the Pass. So gates opened and I am happy to report that so far, the stars are doing fine. Small leak in drysuit did not dampen my joy of seeing the healthy population . On the way home I decided to check out a location I never dove before - under the old wharf at Coupeville. Most of the time the visibility there is less than good, but this Monday it was great, almost 15 feet. So I donned my wet undergarments again and jumped in, with the harbormaster's permission. I expected a short dive with not much to photograph, but the number of Mottled stars in the area was astounding. I never saw so many congregating so tightly. Counting them was quickly dismissed as impractical, so settle for “zillion” :)<br /> I saw signs of wasting stars, but they seemed to be concentrated in one area under the building and compared to the hordes of healthy ones around, seemed insignificant. Of course, it will be interesting to see what the future will bring. I was surprised to find that not one single Sunflower star joined the feast on mussels falling down from the overhead, which feeds the multitudes of stars below. Later, when I talked with the harbormaster, she said, that there were never Sunflower there. She said that she finds them in her crab traps away in other parts of Penn Cove, in the past she brought and released them at the wharf, but always they walked away...<br /> Art/Photo ©2014 by Jan Kocian.
  • Another cycle of sea star surveys from Whidbey Island. The Langley Harbor, which managed to dodge the bullet for some time is now showing the beginnings of the dreaded wasting. With such large population of Sunflower stars, it will be interesting what the next visit there will show. On Monday, January 27, I surveyed two additional sites. From previous dives I knew Deception Pass has a rather small population of sea stars, but I was curious to see how they are faring. Unfortunately, most of the time currents are too strong to dive there and also the beach access for diving is closed in winter. I contacted the park ranger and he not only knew about the wasting syndrome but was very supportive of the idea to survey the situation in the Pass. So gates opened and I am happy to report that so far, the stars are doing fine. Small leak in drysuit did not dampen my joy of seeing the healthy population . On the way home I decided to check out a location I never dove before - under the old wharf at Coupeville. Most of the time the visibility there is less than good, but this Monday it was great, almost 15 feet. So I donned my wet undergarments again and jumped in, with the harbormaster's permission. I expected a short dive with not much to photograph, but the number of Mottled stars in the area was astounding. I never saw so many congregating so tightly. Counting them was quickly dismissed as impractical, so settle for “zillion” :)<br /> I saw signs of wasting stars, but they seemed to be concentrated in one area under the building and compared to the hordes of healthy ones around, seemed insignificant. Of course, it will be interesting to see what the future will bring. I was surprised to find that not one single Sunflower star joined the feast on mussels falling down from the overhead, which feeds the multitudes of stars below. Later, when I talked with the harbormaster, she said, that there were never Sunflower there. She said that she finds them in her crab traps away in other parts of Penn Cove, in the past she brought and released them at the wharf, but always they walked away...<br /> Art/Photo ©2014 by Jan Kocian.
  • Another cycle of sea star surveys from Whidbey Island. The Langley Harbor, which managed to dodge the bullet for some time is now showing the beginnings of the dreaded wasting. With such large population of Sunflower stars, it will be interesting what the next visit there will show. On Monday, January 27, I surveyed two additional sites. From previous dives I knew Deception Pass has a rather small population of sea stars, but I was curious to see how they are faring. Unfortunately, most of the time currents are too strong to dive there and also the beach access for diving is closed in winter. I contacted the park ranger and he not only knew about the wasting syndrome but was very supportive of the idea to survey the situation in the Pass. So gates opened and I am happy to report that so far, the stars are doing fine. Small leak in drysuit did not dampen my joy of seeing the healthy population . On the way home I decided to check out a location I never dove before - under the old wharf at Coupeville. Most of the time the visibility there is less than good, but this Monday it was great, almost 15 feet. So I donned my wet undergarments again and jumped in, with the harbormaster's permission. I expected a short dive with not much to photograph, but the number of Mottled stars in the area was astounding. I never saw so many congregating so tightly. Counting them was quickly dismissed as impractical, so settle for “zillion” :)<br /> I saw signs of wasting stars, but they seemed to be concentrated in one area under the building and compared to the hordes of healthy ones around, seemed insignificant. Of course, it will be interesting to see what the future will bring. I was surprised to find that not one single Sunflower star joined the feast on mussels falling down from the overhead, which feeds the multitudes of stars below. Later, when I talked with the harbormaster, she said, that there were never Sunflower there. She said that she finds them in her crab traps away in other parts of Penn Cove, in the past she brought and released them at the wharf, but always they walked away...<br /> Art/Photo ©2014 by Jan Kocian.
  • Another cycle of sea star surveys from Whidbey Island. The Langley Harbor, which managed to dodge the bullet for some time is now showing the beginnings of the dreaded wasting. With such large population of Sunflower stars, it will be interesting what the next visit there will show. On Monday, January 27, I surveyed two additional sites. From previous dives I knew Deception Pass has a rather small population of sea stars, but I was curious to see how they are faring. Unfortunately, most of the time currents are too strong to dive there and also the beach access for diving is closed in winter. I contacted the park ranger and he not only knew about the wasting syndrome but was very supportive of the idea to survey the situation in the Pass. So gates opened and I am happy to report that so far, the stars are doing fine. Small leak in drysuit did not dampen my joy of seeing the healthy population . On the way home I decided to check out a location I never dove before - under the old wharf at Coupeville. Most of the time the visibility there is less than good, but this Monday it was great, almost 15 feet. So I donned my wet undergarments again and jumped in, with the harbormaster's permission. I expected a short dive with not much to photograph, but the number of Mottled stars in the area was astounding. I never saw so many congregating so tightly. Counting them was quickly dismissed as impractical, so settle for “zillion” :)<br /> I saw signs of wasting stars, but they seemed to be concentrated in one area under the building and compared to the hordes of healthy ones around, seemed insignificant. Of course, it will be interesting to see what the future will bring. I was surprised to find that not one single Sunflower star joined the feast on mussels falling down from the overhead, which feeds the multitudes of stars below. Later, when I talked with the harbormaster, she said, that there were never Sunflower there. She said that she finds them in her crab traps away in other parts of Penn Cove, in the past she brought and released them at the wharf, but always they walked away...<br /> Art/Photo ©2014 by Jan Kocian.
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