Gulf of Alaska | Lower Trophic Levels
Sunflower sea star: Update on the Endangered Species Act status review Presenter: Sadie Wright , sadie.wright@noaa.gov, NOAA Fisheries, Protected Resources Division, Alaska Region Dayv Lowry , david.lowry@noaa.gov, NOAA Fisheries Rick Gustafson , rick.gustafson@noaa.gov, NOAA Fisheries John Hyde , john.hyde@noaa.gov, NOAA Fisheries Mandy Lindeberg , mandy.lindeberg@noaa.gov, NOAA Fisheries Steve Lonhart , steve.lonhart@noaa.gov, NOAA Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary
Melissa Neuman , melissa.neuman@noaa.gov, NOAA Fisheries Duane Stevenson , duane.stevenson@noaa.gov, NOAA Fisheries Nick Tolimieri , nick.tolimieri@noaa.gov, NOAA Fisheries Sarah Traiger , straiger@usgs.gov, USGS
On August 18, 2021, NOAA Fisheries was petitioned to list the sunflower sea star ( Pycnopodia helianthoides ) as threatened or endangered under the Endangered Species Act (ESA) due to significant declines in abundance throughout the species’ range. Sunflower sea stars are the second largest sea star in the world, measuring up to three feet across. They are broadcast spawners and range throughout the intertidal and subtidal waters (to at least 400 m deep) of the Northeast Pacific Ocean from the Aleutian Islands, Alaska, to northern Baja California, Mexico. Sea star wasting syndrome (SSWS) led to precipitous population declines, with widespread mortalities progressing largely sequentially from 2013- 17 from south to north. NOAA Fisheries determined that the petition presented scientific information indicating that listing under the ESA may be warranted, and formed a Status Review Team to further evaluate sunflower sea stars as an ESA Candidate species. This presentation will be an opportunity for NOAA Fisheries to provide an update on the Status Review process and ESA-listing determination. The Status Review Report includes the best available information that NOAA Fisheries gathered through public solicitation from December 27, 2021 to February 25, 2022. Disease, specifically SSWS, is identified as the biggest threat to the species, with ecological impacts associated with anthropogenic climate change also considered a substantial threat. Incidental take of individuals in fisheries and degradation of habitat are considered minor threats to the species.
Alaska Marine Science Symposium 2023 128
Made with FlippingBook flipbook maker