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Ochre sea star
Lacking blood (not to
mention a brain), it lives by
pumping seawater through
a complex vascular system,
engaging its own lymphatic
processes to continually
adjust the chemistry of the
water — a technique that
remains one of the beautiful
mysteries of sea star biology.
A voracious predator,
with two stomachs and a
special taste for bivalves,
Pisaster’s eating habits seem
like they belong to a B-grade
horror monster: Secreting
a glue-like substance from
the tubed feet that cover
its underside, it cements
its rays to the shell of its
victim, forcibly prying it
apart. Then it regurgitates
its own stomach, shooting it
inside the trapped creature,
where it releases a digestive
enzyme that quickly turns its
prey into a kind of liquefied
soup. Strong ligaments then
help pull the stomach back
into the sea star, where the
delectable fluid becomes
available for the second
stage of digestion.
Strangely enough, it is
precisely these unruly table
manners that have secured
Story and photos by
LYNETTE RAE MCADAMS
FOR COAST WEEKEND
C
onsidered the signa-
ture species of the
Pacific tide pool,
Pisaster ochraceus reigns
over the intertidal zone,
clinging to every rocky
shore from Alaska all the
way to Panama.
Known more common-
ly as the ochre sea star or
purple starfish, this five-
rayed favorite is actually
not a fish at all, but belongs
instead to a unique class of
animals called echinoderms,
meaning “spiny-skinned,”
and includes other nautical
celebrities like the sand
dollar, sea cucumber and sea
urchin.
Aside from its charac-
teristic deep purple, this sea
star is also found in shades
of red, orange, brown or yel-
low, with some individuals
displaying a mix of colors.
One of the longest-living
stars to inhabit the ocean,
it can grow to a diameter
of up to 18 inches and will
survive in an ideal climate
for almost 20 years.
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A purple pisaster
Pisaster’s place as a key-
stone species of the ocean
environment: When its insa-
tiable appetite is allowed to
keep other species in check,
the entire ecosystem thrives
with diversity.
Beginning in 2013, sea
star populations up and
down the Pacific coast began
to experience massive die-
offs, with stars contracting a
terrible virus-related illness
known as sea star wasting
syndrome. The disease, pres-
ent in the environment since
at least the 1970s, causes le-
sions, then a decay of bodily
tissues, followed by full
disintegration and, finally,
death. Similar die-offs have
occurred in the past, but
never with such magnitude
or geographic breadth.
In 2015, an incredible
A multicolored pisaster
surge in the populations of
juvenile sea stars created
hope for a rebound, but sad-
ly, celebrations of the stars’
recovery were premature:
Today, more than 20 species
of sea stars, including the
beloved Pisaster ochraceus,
continue to die from the
disease, and at a rate that
has researchers and scien-
tists rather alarmed. A 2016
study linked the widespread
A sea star with lesions
disease, which has dropped
Pacific Northwest sea star
populations by 75 percent
overall, to the warming
of the ocean caused by
human-induced climate
change.
In our local tide pools,
where the colorful stars once
flourished by the hundreds,
populations have dwindled
to just a few. To learn more
about them, including how
you might help their plight
by becoming a citizen-sci-
entist, visit seastarwasting.
org, or join the excellent
team efforts of the Haystack
Rock Awareness Program in
Cannon Beach. CW