Starfish "Starfish Wasting Disease"

Description:

Starfish wasting disease is when lesions begin forming on a starfish. Soon after, the legs start falling off (picture 1), next the starfish, now immobilized, begins to literally waste away, turning into a pile of 'goo' (picture 3). This has always been a minor problem but currently has turned into a plague ranging from Alaska to California. This number of die-offs has never occurred, the closest being back in 1978.

Habitat:

Problem ranging from California to Alaska

Notes:

I started noticing these piles of "goo" back in July of 2013, that's when the news articles began. Reports of never before seen die-offs are affecting the western coast of the United States. Picture 1: Arms decaying on a starfish. Picture 2: Evidence of starfish arms separated from body Picture 3: Graveyard of Starfish "goo" trail. I went back freediving and took a video of how far a single trail stretched and could only get part of the trail on a single breath. The other curious thing was that is seemed the Starfish all died off between 15-25ft. There are multiple articles you can find online better detail the theoretical causes.