A large number of starfish along the West Coast have been stricken with a disease that causes the creatures to lose their arms and disintegrate. Marine and environmental scientists from across the state, including U-C Santa Cruz’s Long Marine Lab, are documenting incidents of “sea star wasting disease” from Alaska to Southern California. In one case, 95 percent of a tide pool sea star population was killed. While a localized outbreak occurred in 1983-84 in Southern California, the disease has never been as widespread as researchers are finding now.
