The key to saving the kelp forests along the western seaboard may reside in a 5-gallon bucket at Omaha’s Henry Doorly Zoo & Aquarium, thousands of miles from the Pacific Ocean.
In that black bucket of carefully brewed water, senior aquarist Ben Morrow is trying to raise five sunflower sea stars, each about 4 millimeters in size.
Once grown to an adult size of 2 feet, the colorful sea stars have an important job to do.
They’re often referred to as the cleanup crew of the ocean and its kelp forests, which have a crucial role of their own. They act as a nursery ground where baby fish go to elude predators.
“Enough urchins and they can wipe out a kelp forest,” Morrow said. “Sea stars eat lots of snails and urchins.”
Right now, there isn’t enough of the critically endangered sea stars to do the job. And that’s where Morrow and the zoo come in.
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“If we can figure out how to raise these species, that can contribute to putting them back into the wild,” Morrow said.
Omaha’s zoo was the first aquarium to work on the project after receiving two adults from SEA LIFE Kansas City Aquarium three years ago. It also has one juvenile.
Morrow, who had worked with sea stars before, had his first successful spawning attempt last year, settling about 200 baby sea stars.
“They look like little aliens,” he said.
Although only five of the 200 have survived, Morrow was able to discover that the bucket the sea stars live in in the basement of Scott Aquarium appeals more to the youngsters than specialized rearing containers.
The next step is to figure out the proper nourishment they need to grow to adulthood. So far in food trials, he’s only been able to find what they like.
“I haven’t found the magic treatment yet,” he said.
His goal is to figure out the nutrition question in 2024, then raise thousands for release in 2025.
Friday Harbor Labs on San Juan Island near Seattle is also part of the effort. Six other aquariums will join.
They’re part of an AZA SAFE Program, which focuses on saving animals from extinction. Those in the program have worked to discover if it’s possible to add sea stars to established populations. They’re also studying Sea Star Wasting Syndrome, which is responsible for the deaths of many of the species.
Although it may seem strange for a landlocked zoo in the middle of the country to be working on the issue, Morrow said his efforts are crucial for the ecosystem along the West Coast. He’s glad to contribute.
“Doing some direct conservation is very rewarding,” he said. “We’re fortunate we can pursue some of those things.”