Beginning in June 2013, sea stars along the west coast of North America began dying in vast numbers from what has been termed Sea Star Wasting Syndrome (SSWS). First noticed by MARINe researchers in Washington state, affected sea stars were observed along much of the coast within months. While similar outbreaks have occurred in the past, previous events were largely restricted to southern California and nearly always coincided with warm water El Niño periods; symptomatic stars would disappear with cooling water temperatures. The current SSWS event has persisted for over a decade, spans from Alaska to Baja California, and has affected over 22 sea star species to varying degrees. While this event has included heightened outbreaks of SSWS during periods of warmer water temperatures, the syndrome has also been remarkably persistent at a low level on a broad geographic scale during periods of cooler seawater temperatures.
The large geographic and temporal scale of this outbreak highlight the need for consistent monitoring, beyond what can be accomplished through the MARINe program alone. Collaboration with other researchers, and the development of a community science program designed to capture trends in sea star populations has made it possible to document the extent of this event, which spans over 2,000 miles of coastline. While we continue to see decline due to SSWS in many areas, we have also begun to see signs of recovery in the form of newly recruited stars in some regions. Continued monitoring at a scale only possible through an expansive collaborative effort between researchers and community scientists will allow us to assess the long-term, broad-scale impact of SSWS on sea star populations, and make predictions about recovery.
Sea star populations are monitored at the sites below following protocols developed by MARINe. These data, along with MARINe long-term monitoring and biodiversity data, are available using the Interactive Graphing Tool. Only sites that have been consistently sampled long-term are included. For subtidal data, sea star sizes are recorded in binned increments; to be included on the website, the size at the midpoint of each bin was used. For more information about how data were collected, please view the intertidal (IT) protocols or subtidal (ST) protocols.
Sites by region
Alaska sites
British Columbia sites
Washington sites
Oregon sites
California sites
Sites by group/researcher
Bainbridge Beach Naturalists
Bill Kopplin
Center for Alaskan Coastal Studies
Cherry Point Aquatic Reserve Citizen Stewardship Committee
Dennis and Deborah Krueger
Edmonds Underwater Park Stewards
Friends of Otter Rock Marine Reserve
Haystack Rock Awareness Program
Kitsap Beach Naturalists
LiMPETS (Long-term Monitoring Program and Experiential Training for Students)
Michael Kyte
North Coast Land Conservancy
Pacific Lutheran University and Harbor WildWatch
Port Townsend Marine Science Center
Redd Fish Restoration Society
Oregon State Parks
Vashon Nature Center
Other Sites
Community Science Sites Currently Monitored, by region
Alaska
Otter Rock; Peterson Bay (IT)
Otter Rock; Peterson Bay ST (ST)
Peterson Bay Lagoon (IT)
China Poot (IT)
China Poot ST (ST)
British Columbia
Stockhom Island (IT)
Tonquin Beach (IT)
Ucluelet Harbour (IT)
Washington
Blaine Pier (IT)
Point Whitehorn Big Rock (IT)
Larrabee (IT)
Evergreen Shore (IT)
Cama Beach State Park (ST)
PTMSC Pier (ST)
Indian Island Bridge (ST)
Indian Island County Park (IT)
Edmonds Ferry (IT)
Edmonds Underwater Park (Jetty) (ST)
Hood Canal Lofall Dock (IT)
Point White (IT)
Rockaway Beach (IT)
Vashon North Ferry Pier (IT)
KVI Towers; Vashon Island (IT)
Raabs Lagoon (IT)
Raabs Lagoon Beach (IT)
Burton Beach (IT)
Point Robinson N (IT)
Point Robinson S (IT)
Maury Marine Park (IT)
Dockton Marina (IT)
Purdy Spit (IT)
Sunrise (IT)
Jerisich Dock (ST)
Gig Harbor (IT)
Kopachuck (IT)
Maple Hollow (IT)
DeMolay (IT)
Narrows Beach (IT)
Penrose (IT)
Oregon
Haystack Rock N Boulders (IT)
Haystack Rock E Needles (IT)
Otter Rock Marine Garden (IT)
Short Sand Beach (IT)
Yaquina Head (IT)
Yachats Beach (IT)
California
Morro Bay T-Piers (IT)
Community Science Sites Currently Monitored, by group/researcher
Bainbridge Beach Naturalists
Bainbridge Beach Naturalists survey the following monitoring sites on Bainbridge Island, in Kitsap County, Washington: Point White, Rockaway Beach. For more information contact Julie Leung (jjl@sauria.com) and Jane Hannuksela (sjhannuks@msn.com). To view data see graph link(s) below:
- Point White (IT)
- Rockaway Beach (IT)
Bill Kopplin
Bill Kopplin surveys the following site in Lincoln County, Oregon: Yaquina Head. For more information contact Bill Kopplin (wbkopplin@gmail.com). To view data see graph link(s) below:
- Yaquina Head (IT)
Center for Alaskan Coastal Studies
Center for Alaskan Coastal Studies surveys the following monitoring sites in Kenai Peninsula County, Alaska: Otter Rock; Peterson Bay, Otter Rock ST; Peterson Bay ST, Peterson Bay Lagoon, China Poot, China Poot ST. For more information contact Katie Gavenus and Seth Spencer (info@akcoastalstudies.org). To view data see graph link(s) below:
- Otter Rock; Peterson Bay (IT)
- Otter Rock; Peterson Bay ST (ST)
- Peterson Bay Lagoon (IT)
- China Poot (IT)
- China Poot ST (ST)
Cherry Point Aquatic Reserve Citizen Stewardship Committee
Cherry Point Aquatic Reserve Citizen Stewardship Committee surveys the following monitoring site in Whatcom County, Washington: Point Whitehorn Big Rock. For more information contact Michael Kyte (m.kyte@comcast.net). To view data see graph link(s) below:
- Point Whitehorn Big Rock (IT)
Dennis and Deborah Krueger
Dennis and Deborah Krueger survey the following monitoring site in San Luis Obispo County, California: Morro Bay T-Piers. For more information contact Dennis Krueger (kayakhorizons@sbcglobal.net). To view data see graph link(s) below:
- Morro Bay T-Piers (IT) Note: Pre-April 2020, South T-Pier was consistently sampled and North T-Pier occasionally sampled. Post-April 2020, both North and South T-Piers are consistently sampled.
Edmonds Underwater Park Stewards
Edmonds Underwater Park Stewards survey the following monitoring site in Snohomish County, Washington: Edmonds Underwater Park (Jetty). For more information contact Ken Collins (collinskf@comcast.net) and Michael Kyte (m.kyte@comcast.net). To view data see graph link(s) below:
- Jetty (IT)
Friends of Otter Rock Marine Reserve
Friends of Otter Rock Marine Reserve survey the following monitoring site in Lincoln County, Oregon: Otter Rock Marine Garden. For more information contact Taylor Brooks (friendsofotterrock@gmail.com). To view data see graph link(s) below:
- Otter Rock (IT)
Haystack Rock Awareness Program
Haystack Rock Awareness Program surveys the following monitoring sites in Clatsop County, Oregon: Haystack Rock N Boulders, Haystack Rock E Needles. For more information contact Lisa Habecker (habecker@ci.cannon-beach.or.us). To view data see graph link(s) below:
- Haystack Rock N Boulders (IT)
- Haystack Rock E Needles (IT)
Kitsap Beach Naturalists
Kitsap Beach Naturalists surveys the following monitoring site in Kitsap County, Washington: Hood Canal Lofall Dock. For more information contact Peg Tillery (gardenmentor@yahoo.com) and Jeff Adams (jaws@uw.edu). To view data see graph link(s) below:
- Hood Canal Lofall Dock (IT)
LiMPETS
LiMPETS (Long-term Monitoring Program and Experiential Training for Students) surveys rocky intertidal monitoring sites along the central and southern coast of California. More information about their sites and data can be found on the LiMPETS website.
Michael Kyte
Michael Kyte surveys the the following monitoring sites on Guemes Island (Skagit County), Snohomish County, and Island County, Washington: Evergreen Shore, Edmonds Ferry, Blaine Pier, and Cama Beach State Park. For more information contact Michael Kyte (m.kyte@comcast.net). To view data see graph link(s) below:
- Evergreen Shore (IT)
- Edmonds Ferry (IT)
- Blaine Pier (IT)
- Cama Beach State Park (IT)
North Coast Land Conservancy
The North Coast Land Conservancy surveys the following monitoring site in Tillamook County, Oregon: Short Sand Beach. For more information contact Angela Whitlock (angelaw@nclctrust.org). To view data see graph link(s) below:
- Short Sand Beach (IT)
Pacific Lutheran University and Harbor WildWatch
Pacific Lutheran University and Harbor Wildwatch survey the following monitoring sites in Pierce County and Clallam County, Washington: Sunrise, Jerisich Dock, Gig Harbor, Purdy Spit, Kopachuck, DeMolay, Narrows Beach, and Penrose. For more information contact Michael Behrens (behrenmd@plu.edu) and Stena Troyer (stena@harborwildwatch.org). To view data see graph link(s) below:
- Sunrise (IT)
- Jerisich Dock (ST)
- Gig Harbor (IT)
- Purdy Spit (IT)
- Kopachuck (IT)
- Maple Hollow (IT)
- DeMolay (IT)
- Narrows Beach (IT)
- Penrose (IT)
Port Townsend Marine Science Center
Port Townsend Marine Science Center surveys the following monitoring sites in Jefferson County, Washington: Indian Island County Park, Indian Island Bridge, PTMSC Pier. For more information contact Betsy Carlson (bcarlson@ptmsc.org). To view data see graph link(s) below:
- Indian Island County Park (IT)
- Indian Island Bridge (ST)
- PTMSC Pier (ST)
Redd Fish Restoration Society
Redd Fish Restoration Society (previously Strawberry Isle Marine Research Society) surveys the following monitoring sites on Vancouver Island, British Columbia: Stockhom Island, Tonquin Beach, and Ucluelet Harbour. For more information contact Sophie Vanderbanck (info@reddfish.org). To view data see graph link(s) below:
- Stockhom Island (IT)
- Tonquin Beach (IT)
- Ucluelet Harbour (IT)
Oregon State Parks
Oregon State Parks survey the following monitoring site in Lincoln County: Yachats Beach. For more information contact Karen Heere (kheere@yahoo.com) and Fawn Custer (fawn@oregonshores.org). To view data see graph link(s) below:
- Yachats Beach (IT)
Vashon Nature Center
Vashon Nature Center surveys the following monitoring sites on Vashon Island, in King County, Washington: Vashon North Ferry Pier, KVI Towers, Rabbs Lagoon, Rabbs Lagoon Beach, Burton Beach, Point Robinson N, Point Robinson S, Maury Marine Park, Dockton Marina. For more information contact Taylor Umetsu (taylor@vashonnaturecenter.org). To view data see graph link(s) below:
- Vashon North Ferry Pier (IT)
- KVI Towers; Vashon Island (IT)
- Raabs Lagoon (IT)
- Raabs Lagoon Beach (IT)
- Burton Beach (IT)
- Point Robinson N (IT)
- Point Robinson S (IT)
- Maury Marine Park (IT)
- Dockton Marina (IT)
Other Sites
For more information on these sites contact Melissa Miner (cmminer@ucsc.edu).
- Larrabee, Whatcom County, Washington (IT)
