On our annual visit to my wife’s family farm on the Maine coast, we tend to do nearly the same set of activities every year. Hike the “Blue Hill” trail. Kayak to the Deere Isle Bridge and “Sand Dollar Beach.” Visit Bar Harbor. Eat lobsters purchased from a local waterman. Hike to Barred Island across the land bridge at low tide. Swim to the big rock in Billings Cove at high tide. Go progging in tide pools. And lots and lots of porch time mixed in with some chores around the farm.
One of the favorites every year is searching for starfish, now called Sea Stars, at the secret place we named “Starfish Beach.” Most years we see dozens or even hundreds of Sea Stars in widely varying sizes and colors in an hour or two of wading around the tide pools. An eight-inch Sea Star slowly inching along a rock or prying open a mussel is magic for phone-obsessed teens. However, this year we found a total of two small Sea Stars over two separate visits with eight children and half that number of adults searching for hours.
According to local naturalists, the decline of Sea Stars and other tide pool critters at our “secret” spot has a variety of causes – starting with collectors. A few years ago, our Starfish Beach was discovered by collectors of Sea Stars and Sea Urchins, who sell them online to aquarium and shell companies. This practice has been stopped and sanctuary status is being pursued for the area. Warming waters caused by climate change are also having a significant impact. The Gulf of Maine is one of the most rapidly warming oceans on Earth, causing many species to move north, including lobsters and other sedentary bottom dwellers, to suffer from increased disease and competition from invasive species like Green Crabs. There have also been sporadic but severe die-offs of Sea Stars along the Maine Coast from Sea Star Wasting Disease, a little-known condition made worse by warming waters.
In a family conversation later, one of the elders explained that everything must learn to adapt to survive. This drew a sharp rebuke from others about the unfairness of humans adapting to climate change by using more air conditioning while animals were often left to move north or die. This issue of responsibility obviously needs a more careful discussion at a later date.
While I am immensely proud of the conservation wins that have occurred to save species and habitats during my lifetime. I am also often saddened by the more recent tidal wave of losses to crises like climate change and overdevelopment. Seeing those kids looking doggedly for starfish without success is one of the saddest reminders about the world we are leaving to them.
Rob Etgen retired in 2021 after a 40-year career in conservation, the last 31 years as President of Eastern Shore Land Conservancy. In retirement, Rob is enjoying family and working on global and local sustainability issues with Council Fire Consulting out of Annapolis.
