Billions of sea stars have died. A Northwest tribe is trying to save the species

Three-year-old sunflower stars explore the kelp forest for the first time. They come in a rainbow of colors but are all the same species. The stars in this cohort are called the "snack pack," so they all have snack names, from Cheeto and Noodles to Sweet Potato. Jennifer Adler hide caption

On a spring morning so blustery that the National Weather Service issued a small craft advisory, a Samish Indian Nation research boat, called the Chinook (Yómech), set out from Anacortes, Washington, just east of the San Juan Islands.

A team of divers crammed into the cabin as the small craft bounced and slammed across Rosario Strait. They were on their way to pick up precious cargo: 20 endangered sunflower stars, raised by hand in a lab at Friday Harbor on San Juan Island.

Sunflower stars are one of the Pacific Ocean's most endangered sea creatures. For the past year, University of Washington researchers have worked closely with the Samish Indian Nation to bring this 24-armed creature back from the brink of extinction after a vast underwater pandemic nearly wiped it out.

The choppy waters of Rosario Strait were only the latest obstacle in the tribe's effort to bring sunflower stars back to traditional Samish territory.

"I've had dreams about this day. I've had nightmares about this day," said Samish Nation biologist Sam Strauss. "Many things have already gone wrong that I didn't anticipate, and I'm sure there will be a couple more."

The stars were supposed to be turned loose last October. Then divers found the deadly sea-star wasting disease — the cause of the species' near-annihilation — surging throughout the San Juans. They called off the release. Six months later, it was back on.

Sunflower stars can grow more than 3 feet wide and are the fastest of all sea stars. They cruise the seabed at up to 5 feet per minute in search of sea urchins or sea cucumbers to grab for a meal.