The scientists fighting to save the ocean s most important carbon capture system msn.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from msn.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
feed to stay on top of the news.
A marine heat wave coupled with a sea star wasting disease decimated the population from Mexico to Alaska, especially in the Northeast Pacific, until the species was declared critically endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature. But if these baby sea stars are able to survive to adulthood in captivity, researchers hope to eventually reintroduce them into the wild, helping the population recover. That’s a big if, however, as they have never been bred in captivity before.
Still, there was nothing to do but try after the consequences of the declining sea star population became evident as their prey, now unchecked, began decimating kelp forests.
New satellite images show Northern California s kelp forest almost gone. Here s the reason
FacebookTwitterEmail
1of7
A harbor seal swims through a Kelp Forest in Noyo Harbor, Fort Bragg, California on Monday September 13, 2020.Jon AndersonShow MoreShow Less
2of7Jon Holcomb clears purple sea uchins from the ocean floor using an urchin rake and an air lift near Fort Bragg, Calif. on Tuesday, April 3, 2018. Northern California s recreational red abalone season has been closed because of dwindling populations. Funding through diving associations has been secured for professional divers to remove the invasive purple sea urchin from sections of Northern California s coastal waters in an attempt to jump start the growth of kelp and reignite the red abalone population.Brian Feulner / Special to The Chronicle 2018Show MoreShow Less