Citizen’s quest to find starfish along the San Diego coast helps scientists better understand biodiversity

The last week of the year brings low tides to the San Diego coastline, giving tide collectors another chance this month to join a statewide quest to find sea stars, also known as starfish.

The Solstice Sea Star Search along the California coast is an effort by the California Academy of Sciences to track starfish populations that were widely depleted about 10 years ago due to infectious diseases potentially linked to climate change.

The project takes place twice a year, in June and December, around the summer and winter solstices, when tides are usually at their lowest. From Christmas Day to Dec. 30, various tides along the San Diego coast will be less than a foot.

To take part in the search, local residents can look for starfish and record their findings on the iNaturalist app. The iNaturalist app is a herd science that helps researchers monitor populations and the overall health of animals.

“Mobilizing so many people means not only gatekeeping research and science to the institution, but also extending that responsibility and commitment to the broader community,” said Olivia Pross, Community Engagement Manager at the San Diego Museum of Nature. It will happen,” he said. History helps spread the word about starfish exploration.

So far, more than 1,600 starfish sightings have been recorded along the coast this month, including more than 60 in San Diego County.

Here’s what else you need to know about finding and joining.

Why are starfish important?

Starfish are often referred to as “keystone species.” As predators in the intertidal food chain, they feed on other organisms such as sea urchins, which in turn feed on algae such as seaweed and kelp, helping to maintain the balance of the entire ecosystem.

Without starfish, sea urchins could eat too much algae, destroying kelp forests and upending the ecosystem. As starfish numbers decline, sea urchin barrens (areas dominated by sea urchins and no kelp) have become more common on the West Coast.

“Kelp forests are beautiful and amazing ecosystems with large amounts of kelp that act as a safety net for animals,” said Olivia VanDam, Regional Science Coordinator for the California Academy of Sciences.

Around 2013, starfish populations began to plummet from Mexico to Alaska due to starfish wasting syndrome. Starfish wasting syndrome is a disease that causes starfish to develop symptoms such as skin lesions, lose their arms, and eventually die. Research suggests that rising ocean temperatures may be playing a role, with warmer water making stars more susceptible to disease.

While some species are starting to recover, others, such as the sunflower starfish (which is proposed to be listed as threatened under the Endangered Species Act), have not recovered as much and some It may be considered locally extinct.

In 2023, scientists at Birch Aquarium and elsewhere successfully spawned three sunflower starfish to help rebuild the population.

How can I participate? And how will my data be used?

To participate in the Solstice Sea Star Search, download the iNaturalist app and create an account. You can participate in the California Academy of Sciences’ Winter Solstice Sea Star Search Project on the app, but it is not required. Once you start recording the starfish you find, they will be automatically routed to your project.

Searching for starfish is a fun experience in itself, but your discoveries can actually help scientists better understand California’s biodiversity.

The California Academy of Sciences is working with the California Marine Conservation Council and the California Department of Fish and Wildlife to create an early warning and prediction system to monitor biodiversity changes on the West Coast. The system uses crowdsourced data from tide pools and outdoor enthusiasts domestically and internationally. state.

“My team can’t get enough scientists out there on this low tide day to every corner of California to see what’s going on,” VanDam said. . “The story of the starfish is a success story in the field of crowd science.”

When is the best time to go to tide pools?

From Christmas Day through Dec. 30, tides will be less than a foot in some locations along the San Diego County coast. A new moon occurs on December 30th, a lunar event that often coincides with low tide.

If you want more information about specific times, check out the California Academy of Sciences’ Tide Finder. It shows low tides around the state, including nine locations in San Diego from Imperial Beach to La Jolla. Low tide times for these locations this week are between noon and 4pm each day, perfect for a leisurely lunchtime with the family.

Cabrillo National Monument also keeps tidal records for the Point Loma Peninsula, and there are several websites that track high and low tides in other parts of the county.

Where should I go in San Diego?

Cabrillo National Monument, Tourmaline Surfing Park, Torrey Pines and Cardiff County beaches, and the tide pools near Shore Drive and Carlsbad Boulevard in Carlsbad are all great spots for tide pooling.

There are several great locations in La Jolla, including the pools at La Jolla Shores off Coast Boulevard, south of Cuvier Park, and near Scripps Pier.

This month’s goal is to spot starfish, but keep your eyes peeled for other coastal creatures like sea anemones, snails, octopuses, and sea slugs like the Spanish Shoal.

Please respect wild animals and do not collect or remove them from their habitat. Walk slowly and carefully so you don’t accidentally step on something.

2024 San Diego Union-Tribune. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.