Join the Discovery Passage Aquarium on June 6th for another monthly Sea Star Survey! We survey the ochre star population on Willow Point Reef, looking at the population density and any signs of sea star wasting disease.

We will be meeting at Jaycee Park at 1pm. All survey equipment will be provided. Please note that the reef may be slippery and your shoes will get wet.

This is a free event but please register on our website so we can bring enough supplies!

Why are we doing this?

In 2013 there was an outbreak of sea star wasting disease. This is a disease that causes lesions on the body of the sea stars and deterioration of soft tissues. After this outbreak the populations of sea stars on the Pacific northwest coast declined sharply and populations are still not yet recovered in many places. The cause of sea star wasting disease is still poorly understood, although gathering information is the first step to solving this issue.

How do I prepare for the survey? 

The Discovery Passage Aquarium will provide all materials needed to survey the sea stars. During the survey you will be assigned a site on the reef and asked to count all of the sea stars at your site, assess their health based on the pictures of healthy, mildly diseased, and severely diseased sea stars, and measure the radius of the sea star (from the middle of the body to the longest arm).  Please note that counting sea stars requires crouching down and looking under rocks.