Shellfish Program Leader News Today

Researchers say an epidemic that started in 2013 has decimated 95% of sunflower sea stars.

Since a marine heatwave that happened from 2013 to 2015, there have been important ecosystem changes on the Oregon Coast. The populations of bull kelp, sunflower sea stars and other important marine species like abalone have been on the decline. At the same time, the population of purple sea urchins is rising rapidly.