Researchers near Monterey are returning sunflower sea stars to coastal waters as part of an effort to rebuild a damaged marine ecosystem. The critically endangered species is being monitored after placement in specialised cages with open doors.
Sunflower stars prey on purple sea urchins, whose numbers increased when the predators disappeared. Heavy grazing by the urchins has helped turn extensive kelp forests into depleted underwater landscapes.
The research examines both direct predation and changes in urchin behaviour around the stars. It is a restoration effort under observation, not a declaration that the forests have already recovered. The project highlights the importance of interactions between species when deciding how to repair an ecosystem that has lost a key predator.
