This disturbing disease has struck Florida’s coast

PALM BEACH COUNTY, Fla. – A mysterious and deadly disease is wreaking havoc on nine-armed sea stars along Florida’s Atlantic coast, according to the University of Florida’s Institute of Food and Agricultural Studies (UF/IFAS).

In a release last month, researchers confirmed the outbreak of the notorious sea-star wasting disease (SSWD) — a condition known for causing sea stars to develop symptoms like lesions and twisted arms before turning them into lifeless, disintegrating masses.

While the disease has largely been relegated to the United States’ Pacific coast, UF Quantitative Ecologist Alex Romer stumbled across the first cases of the disease here in Florida.

Romer told News 6 that he made the startling discovery last year while snorkeling off the coast of Palm Beach County.

“I saw sea stars on the first day that were clearly showing signs of symptoms, like their limbs were falling off,” he explained. “And then the next day, I came back, and in areas where I had seen sea stars in the first day, they were just kind of black mounds of detritus that were left on the substrate.”

Since then, there have been many more confirmed cases of the disease impacting nine-armed sea stars in the region, causing major concerns for researchers.

So what’s causing this to happen? Scientists originally thought it was some kind of virus, but researchers now say that it could be the product of a bacterial infection.

“There are changes in the microbiome of these sea stars when they get this disease, and we know that they get tissue necrosis…” Romer added. “But in terms of what’s actually causing the disease, it’s a little unclear at this time.”

Sea stars play a crucial role in Florida’s delicate seagrass and eelgrass beds: vital habitats that support thriving fisheries and coral reefs. More specifically, these invertebrates churn sand when hunting for worms and shellfish, which mixes the sediment and helps these underwater meadows grow.

As such, the loss of these sea stars could trigger disastrous ripple effects across Florida’s aquatic ecosystems.

“You can think of eelgrass beds, mangrove forests, coral reefs, as all being these inter-connected ecosystems,” Romer continued. “And game fish that people like to fish for and eat require all these ecosystems to be healthy.”

While the issue is still being scrutinized, Romer urges members of the public to report any similar cases that they might come across.

Should you do so, you can submit a report through Florida Sea Grant by calling (352) 392-5870 or by clicking here.