A decade ago, California’s kelp forests were among the most biodiverse places on Earth. Today, many have been replaced by “urchin barrens” – underwater deserts where purple sea urchins have devoured everything in sight. The cause? The disappearance of the sunflower sea star, the urchin’s primary predator.
But hope is on the horizon. Thanks to a massive collaborative effort between NOAA Fisheries, The Nature Conservancy, and partners like the Aquarium of the Pacific and Birch Aquarium, scientists are successfully breeding sunflower stars in the lab.
Why it matters:
- The “Hoover” of the Sea: A single juvenile sunflower star can eat up to 44 pea-sized urchins in a day.
- Restoring Balance: By reintroducing these predators, scientists hope to naturally thin out urchin populations, allowing kelp to grow back.
- A Scientific First: While breeding these “cannibalistic” stars in captivity is notoriously difficult, the first “Cupid Cohort” was successfully spawned in California last year.
This project represents one of the most ambitious marine restoration efforts in state history.