Having found a mysterious killer of sea stars, B.C. scientists see a way to stop it
Canadian scientists have identified a specific bacterium, vibrio pectenicida, as the cause of the sea star wasting disease that has devastated Pacific coast populations since 2013. This discovery provides a potential path forward for conservation efforts to protect marine ecosystems.
Why it matters
Identifying the pathogen is a critical step in mitigating the ecological collapse of keystone species in the Pacific Ocean.
A mysterious disease is destroying stars and threatening critical ecosystems. Scientists are stumped, but they toil away in laboratories and distant, inhospitable environments, searching for an answer.
It’s not the plot of an interstellar sci-fi movie: It’s the groundbreaking science being done by a co-operative of marine biologists trying to save western North America’s sea stars.
In 2025, Canadian researchers identified the culprit: star-killing bacteria called vibrio pectenicida. But the discovery only prompted more questions: Where did they come from? Why had the outbreak exploded so suddenly? Can anything be done to stop it?
The outbreak of what came to be known as sea star wasting disease began spreading up and down the Pacific coast, from Mexico to Alaska, in 2013. It devastated sea star populations, including wiping out almost 90 per cent of sunflower stars, the largest sea stars in the world.
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