The Comeback: Saving Sunflower Sea Stars From Extinction
Watch Now!
The future of California’s kelp forests depends on the sunflower sea star, and the future of this species could depend on one star.
In this webinar, Heal the Bay Aquarium Associate Director of Operations Laura Rink and Jen Burney, Aquaculture Lab Technician at Santa Monica College, take you behind the scenes of our urgent work to save the critically endangered sunflower sea star.
After a Sea Star Wasting Event decimated more than 20 sea star species and left the California sunflower sea star virtually extinct, Heal the Bay joined the Association of Zoos and Aquariums SAFE (Saving Animals From Extinction) Program to help turn the tide.
This webinar captures a rare and time-sensitive moment: our 2026 work to spawn one of the only reproductive female sunflower sea stars in California. A successful spawning could allow us to raise her offspring and, with state approval, one day reintroduce juvenile sea stars into local waters to help restore balance to our coastal ecosystems.
You’ll learn how aquaculture supports species recovery, why sunflower sea stars are a keystone species, and what happens when they disappear.
Then meet “Chicken Fingers,” the sunflower sea star at the center of this critical effort—and one of the last reproductive females from Southern California waters.
Because healthy coastlines don’t happen by accident. They take care, science, and a community of people willing to show up.
You don’t have to be an expert.
You just have to start.
More About The Comeback
Around 2013, our California coast experienced a Sea Star Wasting Event caused by a disease outbreak that decimated over 20 different sea star species populations and left the California sunflower sea star virtually extinct.
In the years following this event, the Association of Zoos and Aquariums created the Sunflower Sea Star SAFE (Saving Animals From Extinction) Program, bringing together more than 50 facilities from around the world. Heal the Bay has been an active member in this program for several years and, joined by Santa Monica College, continues working to turn the tide.
The sunflower sea star is a fast-moving, many-armed keystone predator that can grow up to 3 feet wide and uses thousands of tube feet to hunt sea urchins, helping protect and sustain vital kelp forest ecosystems.
In 2026, Heal the Bay Aquarium supported a critical effort to restore this endangered species through aquaculture science and species recovery. This work represents a rare opportunity to help restore balance to Southern California’s coastal ecosystems and protect the future of our kelp forests.
Resources from the Webinar
Can Aquaculture Save Our Oceans?
Learn More: Aquaculture at Santa Monica College
Meet Chicken Fingers at the Aquarium
Meet the Scientists
Laura Rink
Associate Director of Operations, Heal the Bay Aquarium
Professor of Aquaculture, Santa Monica College
Jen Burney
Aquaculture Lab Technician, Santa Monica College
Laura and Jen lead this critical work to support sunflower sea star recovery through aquaculture, species restoration, and the SAFE Program. Together, they are helping protect one of California’s most important keystone species—and the kelp forests that depend on it.
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Thank you to our water partners at Open Water for supporting our events this Earth Month
