Vincent Christian is founder and lab director of the Sunflower Star Lab (SSL), a Monterey-based non-profit dedicated to supporting research and developing scalable aquaculture methods to restore sunflower stars to their historic range in California.
In 2013, sea star wasting syndrome (SSWS) began devastating sea star populations along the west coast of North America, with sunflower stars (Pycnopodia helianthoides) becoming locally extinct in the shallow coastal waters where they served as a keystone predator, protecting kelp forests from overgrazing by urchins. Since then, many complex kelp forest ecosystems have become low-biodiversity urchin barrens. In collaboration with universities, aquariums, and research laboratories, Sunflower Star Laboratory aims to develop methods and mobilize resources to grow sunflower stars at the scale needed for recovery.
Join us to learn about the latest efforts and news at SSL and how you can help!