Restoring sunflower sea stars: Reviving a keystone of the kelp forest

The Edmonds Waterfront Center welcomes Dr. Jason Hodin, senior research scientist at the University of Washington’s Friday Harbor Laboratories, as the featured speaker in Annie Crawley’s Environmental Speaker Series. The Edmonds Beacon is the media sponsor.

Doors open Thursday, Nov. 20, at 6 p.m. at the Edmonds Waterfront Center. The presentation – “Restoring Sunflower Sea Stars” – centers on how solving the mystery of sea star wasting and raising stars in the lab may hold the key to reviving Pacific Northwest kelp forests.

Tickets are $7.50 at tinyurl.com/4rn29u65.

Hodin, from the University of Washington’s Friday Harbor Laboratories, is at the forefront of efforts to understand and restore the sunflower sea star (Pycnopodia helianthoides) – a massive, brightly colored echinoderm once abundant along the Pacific Coast, now listed as critically endangered after being devastated by sea star wasting disease.

As an apex predator, sunflower stars keep purple urchin populations in check; without them, urchins overgraze kelp forests, unraveling entire coastal ecosystems.

At Friday Harbor Labs, Hodin and his team are conducting pioneering research into the life history and disease ecology of sea stars. They recently helped identify Vibrio pectenicida as a likely causative agent of sea star wasting and are rearing sunflower sea stars in captivity – from larvae through juveniles – to document life stages never before closely studied.

These efforts not only advance science, but also form the foundation for restoration programs, where captive-bred stars may one day be reintroduced to struggling kelp forest ecosystems.

Hodin’s presentation will highlight the scientific detective work behind solving the mystery of sea star wasting, showcase the delicate process of raising stars in the lab, and explore the ecological ripple effects of losing – and potentially restoring –this keystone species. Attendees can gain a deeper understanding of how the health of kelp forests, salmon, sea otters, and countless other species are connected to the fate of sunflower stars.

Prior to the presentation, local students will be honored with the President’s Environmental Youth Award (PEYA). The PEYA recognizes outstanding K-12 environmental stewardship nationwide.

Their award-winning project centers on the Edmonds Underwater Park. Guided by Barbara Bromley, a fourth- and fifth-grade teacher, and host Crawley, who supported the class through a yearlong environmental program, the students – Kaleb Wolde, Malia Nymeyer, Takumi Tanimura, and Avery Poisal – created a documentary film and collaborative artwork celebrating the park’s biodiversity and conservation community.