Edmonds Lecture Series: The Return of the Sunflower Sea Star: Reviving a Critical Species of the Kelp Forest

Once a common sight along the Pacific Coast, sunflower sea stars have been pushed to the brink by sea star wasting disease – triggering cascading impacts on kelp forests as unchecked purple urchins move in. Dr. Jason Hodin of Friday Harbor Laboratories is leading groundbreaking research to understand what went wrong and how recovery might be possible. In this talk, he’ll share the detective work behind identifying the disease, the challenges and successes of raising sunflower sea stars in captivity, and how restoring this important predator could help heal entire coastal ecosystems.