Up and down the East and West Coast shores, there has been a massive decline in a specific starfish species. Many starfish have been found looking as if they are “melting”, or more specifically as if their arms have curled up in to the center, and fallen off.

According to a National Geographic article titled “Massive Starfish Die-off Battles Scientists,” marine biologist Jonathan Martin noticed the dwindling sunflower starfish at the end of August of 2013. Martin noticed the arms looked chopped off in a way and initially guessed they might have been caught in a crab trap. This was especially striking for Martin because the starfish is a very unique creature with the ability to regenerate lost limbs. Martin started to notice more and more dead starfish with the same “chopped up” looking limbs even in marine parks where crab trapping was illegal. It was then that Martin realized the starfish must have been dying due to something else. “The starfish seem to waste away, ‘deflate’ a little, and then just … disintegrate,” describes Martin.

Shortly thereafter, similar cases were reported all along the West and East Coast. This time, many more species of starfish were involved. The decline of the starfish may is extremely crucial to the ecosystem. Although not many animals feed on starfish, as they have little meat on their bodies, adult starfish feed on mussels. Mussels are a popular species, found in all tide zones. As the starfish population diminishes, this will incite a massive increase in the mussel population, breaking the natural cycle of the ecosystem.

There have been many theories that this unusual case is being stirred because of bacteria-related diseases or connected to climate changes. There also have been fingers pointed to Japan’s Fukushima leaked nuclear plant. Whether the cause is environmental or disease related, this is a question that needs to be addressed quickly before the delicate balance of the ecosystem is damaged beyond repair.