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Starfish “Wasting Disease” Now In Oregon

by | May 7, 2014 | Conservation, Invertebrates, Opinion | 2 comments

Oregon is the latest State to be afflicted by Starfish ‘Wasting Disease’. Its a disease that has been affecting the West Coast. This CBS news video gives an overview of the disease, filmed about 5 months ago.

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BhGUw7sDsus&w=560&h=315]

Oregon Coast Aquarium Divers found a large group of starfish wasting away from the disease at Yaquina Bay. This marks the first large group of Starfish found in Oregon to be afflicted. The symptoms of the disease are synonymous of what you would expect from the name ‘wasting disease’.starfish Jim Burke, the Aquariums dive operations direction described the disease as follows: “You see an arm totally off, or the base of a body really milky, or an arm starting to separate.” Scientists have not yet discovered the cause of the disease. MORE

Source: Rob Davis at Oregonian.com

  • Francis is a marine biologist with an MBA and over 20 years of professional aquarium experience. Francis is the former Aquatic Development Manager at Hagen USA., makers of Fluval brand aquarium products. He co-stars on Nat Geo WILD's reality TV series Fish Tank Kings where he is the resident "Fish Geek" and was Director of Marketing at Living Color Aquariums. He is an avid explorer having visited over 45 countries and lived in 7. At 17, he was among the youngest aquarists ever hired by the Vancouver Aquarium, where he worked for 7 years. His aquatic biology experience ranges from larval fish rearing to the design, construction and operational management of renowned public aquariums around the world. Francis is currently head of marketing at the world's largest vertically integrated fish farming company.

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2 Comments

  2. Michael Rosenbloom
    Michael Rosenbloom on May 9, 2014 at 1:00 am

    can radiation from fukushima worsen this?

    Reply

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