by KATU StaffSat, March 18th 2023, 3:34 PM PDT
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Adult sunflower sea stars feeding on mussels at UW Friday Harbor Laboratories. (Photo: Dennis Wise/University of Washington)
OREGON COAST, Ore. (KATU) —Once a popular sight along the Pacific Coast, the sunflower sea star is now edgingcloser to becoming a threatened species.
The sunflower sea star is the second largest sea star in the world, reaching up to 3 feet wide. With its impressive pinwheel of legs and bright colors, it used to be a ubiquitous part of the coast, with visitors eagerly pointing out and taking pictures with the echinoderm
However, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration is making the recommendation that the star join the threatened species list after a pathogen called Sea Star Wasting Syndrome wiped out more than 90 percent of the species between 2013 to 2017.
The sea…
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Exposing the Big Game 
Very beautiful. With all of the human-caused sludge and trash in the oceans, I don’t wonder that sea life is being threatened. Traces of drugs, etc. Not good!