Development Plan
The mission of Sunflower Star Laboratory will be challenging because sunflower stars have complex life cycles, grow very slowly, and will require a lot of physical and human resources to aquaculture. Our plan outlines how we intend to develop as an organization over time, and the resources we will need to accomplish this development. We are currently in Phase 2 of our plan and have the necessary permits and cooperative agreements to proceed as we refine our aquaculture techniques. Additional permits and resources will be necessary as we move to the next stages of our plan.
Phase I: Protocol Refinement
Phase I allowed SSL to test its equipment and methodologies and took place from December 2021-March 2024. SSL started by growing local echinoderms that are abundant, primarily sand dollars (left), urchins, and locally-abundant sea stars (Patiria miniata and Pisaster giganteus). Once the methods for growing a few of these species were successfully and consistently replicated, SSL started growing sunflower sea stars, Pycnopodia helianthoides.
Photo courtesy of Abbey Dias
Phase II: Small Scale Sunflower Star Cultivation
Phase II, is currently ongoing, as 72 juveniles are currently being raised at our aquaculture facility. From both literature and evidence from Dr. Jason Hodin’s work at Friday Harbor Laboratories raising several cohorts of F1 generations and spawning them, these stars are presumed to take 3 years to get to reproductive size.
Juvenile sunflower star being grown at Sunflower Star Laboratory. Photo courtesy of Kenan Chan
Phase III: Large Scale Sunflower Star Cultivation
Phase III will take 3-5 years to complete and it will require significant capital expenditures for equipment and labor. It will require a building that is capable of housing a larger facility. and it will take 4-6 months to construct the equipment necessary to grow enough animals for reintroduction to be successful. It will require at least two full-time employees to do the work although volunteers may be used to help with the labor.
Sunflower Stars at Friday Harbor Laboratory, University of Washington
Phase IV: Release or Spawning Experimentation
Phase IV should take about one year to complete and can begin as soon as reproductive animals are available. Planning for Phase IV will begin as soon as larvae have gone through metamorphosis and have become juvenile animals. This phase will require a permit for reintroduction to be issued, and methods for introduction and monitoring agreed upon with relevant stakeholders, SMEs, and
legal authorities.
A kelp forest ecosystem in Monterey Bay
Phase V: Full Scale Cultivation and Reintroduction
Phase V should start only after Phase IV has shown that the introduced animals are surviving in the wild. Phase V will be an ongoing process that will continue until P. helianthoides populations have recovered and are stable. Phase 5 will include a monitoring program to evaluate the success of the reintroductions and to track
P. helianthoides populations.
Adult sunflower star in an Alaskan rocky reef environment. Photo courtesy of Patrick Webster.