Disease killing sea stars reaches local public aquariums

Disease killing sea stars reaches local public aquariums

A disease that began killing millions of sea stars along the West Coast last fall has reached public aquariums in Western Washington.

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Seattle Aquarium staff members started noticing sick sea stars in early July in tanks where visitors can touch the starfish. Eventually the aquarium lost hundreds of sea stars in its exhibits, including all of its 43 sunflower sea stars.

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Similar occurrences of what’s known as sea star wasting syndrome occurred in the 1970s, 1980s and 1990s, but were not this widespread, according to the Ecology and Evolutionary Biology website for the University of California Santa Cruz.

In past, the disease struck so quickly that by the time the outbreaks were apparent they were nearly over, Lahner said. Now, the disease has been spotted for more than a year.

The current incidence of the disease was first noticed in ochre sea stars in June 2013 along the coast of Washington. It then spread along the West Coast with some cases sprouting in East Coast waters.

Well, that's not good.

a reply to: loam

Everything is connected. Everything.

Everywhere.

Time to start taking care of ourselves and our world.

If it is reaching public aquariums and they filter/have their own water supply, then it is not something biochemical in the water, but something viral?

originally posted by: stormcell
If it is reaching public aquariums and they filter/have their own water supply, then it is not something biochemical in the water, but something viral?

I believe seawater is piped in from the ocean and filtered to some degree.

That would not rule out a biochemical cause.

Maybe its the fact that people were touching them. No telling what people have on their hands. Reptiles, like toads, get damaged when handled without gloves. The oil on the skin of the hands injures the animal and damages its skin.

originally posted by: eManym
Maybe its the fact that people were touching them. No telling what people have on their hands. Reptiles, like toads, get damaged when handled without gloves. The oil on the skin of the hands injures the animal and damages its skin.

How would that explain the millions that have died in the ocean?

It's got nothing to do with people touching them.

originally posted by: Psynic

originally posted by: eManym
Maybe its the fact that people were touching them. No telling what people have on their hands. Reptiles, like toads, get damaged when handled without gloves. The oil on the skin of the hands injures the animal and damages its skin.

How would that explain the millions that have died in the ocean?

It's got nothing to do with people touching them.

Its just a comment.

Maybe human waste dumped in the ocean is causing it.

originally posted by: eManym
Amphibians, like toads....

originally posted by: Psynic

originally posted by: eManym
Maybe its the fact that people were touching them. No telling what people have on their hands. Reptiles, like toads, get damaged when handled without gloves. The oil on the skin of the hands injures the animal and damages its skin.

How would that explain the millions that have died in the ocean?

It's got nothing to do with people touching them.

One person went from the beach to the aquarium. One infected star infected the rest.

originally posted by: OccamsRazor04

originally posted by: Psynic

originally posted by: eManym
Maybe its the fact that people were touching them. No telling what people have on their hands. Reptiles, like toads, get damaged when handled without gloves. The oil on the skin of the hands injures the animal and damages its skin.

How would that explain the millions that have died in the ocean?

It's got nothing to do with people touching them.

One person went from the beach to the aquarium. One infected star infected the rest.

No.

It's happening in other west coast seaquariums that pipe seawater into the exhibits.

If you've listened to Dana's show, you'll notice the marked change in his tone in the last two days.

The man is traumatized.

youtu.be...