Northwest Dive Club

Over the last many years I’ve been so bummed to have seen all the sea stars dying off. I’d be lucky to see 1-2 during any dive near Tacoma. Last week I saw 100s if not 1000s off Owens beach area!! It was so awesome to see one or two every few feet and more species than I know. I’ve also heard reports that the same is happening up in Sitka. Fingers crossed that we will see a full return of the stars? Anyone else seeing this?

I saw a whole bunch in Mukilteo too! Mostly small ones but it was awesome to see them moving and feeding on dead crab.

I guess evolution has worked its magic and the strong survived and now there is resistance to wasting disease? I really hope this trend continues and we return to the days when you could hardly anchor your boat without pulling up your anchor and finding star fish (sea stars) attached to the anchor. I look forward to seeing the giant sun stars again too. Fingers crossed.

It's been 8 years since the Fukushima radiation plume smashed into the west coast of North America. Makes sense that the sea stars would start coming back now that the radiation levels are decreasing.

There's been several boom and busts since the initial crash. We should be a bit more scientific before declaring recovery, and root causing (Jeremy lol). I'm sure Jan would have a lot more to say about the boom then busts. Often sunflowers have been waisting when they reach a certain size. Let's be hopeful though, thanks for the report!

Aha! Now I see! After Fukushima, the sea stars have been melting so that they can come together to form one giant Gojira-star!

Fear the Gojira-star!

Jeremy wrote: ↑Thu Jul 25, 2019 1:42 pm It's been 8 years since the Fukushima radiation plume smashed into the west coast of North America. Makes sense that the sea stars would start coming back now that the radiation levels are decreasing.

Fukushima has nothing to do with this topic. The measured radioactivity from Fukushima is tiny compared to the radioactivity still present from 1950's nuclear bomb testing in the Pacific. There were at least 65 H-Bombs exploded in the Marshall Islands alone! The levels from both of these events on the North American west coast are negligible and lower than natural background sources.

Here is a recent credible source:
https://www.wgbh.org/news/2018/01/09/ne ... ng-pacific

Penopolypants wrote: ↑Thu Jul 25, 2019 2:13 pm Aha! Now I see! After Fukushima, the sea stars have been melting so that they can come together to form one giant Gojira-star!

Fear the Gojira-star!

I am more concerned about the inevitable rise of Mecha-OchreStar, the ultimate predator!

dlh wrote: ↑Thu Jul 25, 2019 2:35 pm

Penopolypants wrote: ↑Thu Jul 25, 2019 2:13 pm Aha! Now I see! After Fukushima, the sea stars have been melting so that they can come together to form one giant Gojira-star!

Fear the Gojira-star!

I am more concerned about the inevitable rise of Mecha-OchreStar, the ultimate predator!


black-starfish.jpg

Oooh, we can watch Mecha-OchreStar battle Gojira-Star! (if we survive....muahahaha).

dlh wrote: ↑Thu Jul 25, 2019 2:34 pm

Fukushima has nothing to do with this topic.

It’s not just starfish melting into blobs of goo...I was scootering Day island Wall the other day and out of the corner of my eye just caught a glimpse of what appeared to be a two headed wolf eel in its lair. Didn’t seem natural...like there was some radiation involved

Jeremy wrote: ↑Thu Jul 25, 2019 3:00 pm caught a glimpse of what appeared to be a two headed wolf eel in its lair. Didn’t seem natural...like there was some radiation involved

Oh no! Ghidorah-Wolfie has already lost one of its heads!

I blame Fukushima

+1 to what yelloweye said

Also it’s not Fukushima, that has been debunked like 10,000 times.

H2O, What species did you see in mass? Did you get pictures or video? I know Dr Harvell would love to see them.