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Scientists Close To Discovering Cause of Starfish Wasting Epidemic

by | Jul 6, 2014 | Corals, Fish, Opinion, Science | 0 comments

starfishThe Starfish Epidemic has been sweeping through the West Coast since 2014, the cause has been unknown so far. it has decimated the starfish population. I have written about ‘Starfish Wasting’ this year a few times, watching the disease spread further and further along the West Coast. The symptoms are synonymous with what you would expect with such a name, the Starfish literally look wasted away, with arms falling off or starting to separate and the starfish appearing milky or mushy. Scientists have confirmed that an infectious agent is to blame for the starfish wasting, but they are not sure if it is a bacteria or virus. They have confirmed it is spread through the water and through contact. MORE

  • Francis Yupangco

    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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