Researchers find cause of mass sea star die

SEATTLE — More than 5 billion sea stars have been wiped out along the West Coast by a mysterious disease. For more than a decade, scientists didn’t know why — until now.

Researchers at the Hakai Institute have identified the culprit as a bacterium called Vibrio pectenicida, known as "V-peck" for short. It’s now believed to be responsible for the widespread outbreak of sea star wasting disease, which causes sea stars to twist, lose limbs, and eventually collapse.

“There was a disease outbreak that hit sea stars and caused them to sort of start twisting — and their arms would actually walk away from their bodies,” said Alyssa Gehman, a marine disease ecologist at the Hakai Institute.

The bacteria can spread in at least two ways: through direct contact with an infected sea star or exposu