Sunflower Star Laboratory

Sunflower Star Laboratory is a Monterey-based non-profit committed to the reintroduction of sunflower sea stars (Pycnopodia helianthoides) to the coast of central California. The sea star wasting syndrome that began in 2013 has devastated sunflower star populations off the West Coast of North America. The goal of Sunflower Star Laboratory is to grow disease-free sunflower stars (Pycnopodia helianthoides) from larvae into juveniles so that they can be released into the wild to help restore populations in California. We are coordinating with the Pycnopodia Recovery Work Group, a group of scientists formed to develop recovery management strategies, to develop scalable aquaculture protocols for recovery in areas where sunflower stars are functionally extinct. Our board is composed of an experienced, interdisciplinary group of researchers, marine conservation professionals, project managers and environmental educators passionate about the restoration of sunflower stars.