Lab info

UWFHL Sea Star Lab

The UWFHL Sea Star Lab has pioneered captive rearing and breeding of endangered sunflower sea stars, closing the life cycle in culture, producing juveniles for research and field trials, supporting pathogen and resilience studies, and helping move West Coast recovery toward monitored outplanting and restoration.

Selected publications and recovery documents.

Hodin et al. 2021. Complete life-cycle culturing progress for the endangered sunflower star. PubMed
Heady et al. 2022. Roadmap to Recovery for the sunflower sea star along the West Coast. TNC roadmap
Gravem / Galloway et al. 2023. Sunflower sea star predation on urchins can facilitate kelp forest recovery. Hodin publications
Prentice et al. 2025. Vibrio pectenicida strain FHCF-3 as a causative agent of sea star wasting disease. UW News
Hodin et al. 2025. Star Power: early life stages are robust to current and near-future warming. PLOS One

Core public sources and support.

Donate to Stars for the Sea Hodin research page Hodin publications

Web stories and media coverage. Public articles, videos, and education pages found during the source survey, excluding Jason Hodin’s own pages and formal publication links.

2026-03-19 · My Edmonds News: The Return of the Sunflower Sea Star
2026 · Sound Water Stewards: Sunflower Sea Stars and Captive Rearing
2026 · Sound Water Stewards: Jason Hodin, Keynote
2026-01-20 · AZA: First Temporary Experimental Outplanting of Sunflower Stars in California Marks Major Milestone in Ocean Recovery
2026-01 · Sunflower Star Laboratory: First temporary experimental outplanting of sunflower stars in California
2025-12-19 · WDFW: How a collaborative partnership is restoring balance to kelp forest ecosystems, one lab-raised sea star at a time
2025-08-19 · Salish Current: Friday Harbor researchers look to sea star transfers
2025-08 · Mongabay: There’s hope for sunflower sea stars, with their killer unmasked and reintroductions pending
2025 · Encyclopedia of Puget Sound: With one mystery solved, researchers examine new strategies for sea star recovery
2025 · KUOW: Scientists crack the case of the melting sea stars
2025 · KATU: Possibilities open to save sunflower sea stars now that cause of wasting disease is known
2025 · King 5: UW scientists see hope as they monitor lab-grown sea stars in the wild
2025 · King 5: Saving a species: UW scientists release first lab-grown sea stars
2025-08-05 · OPB: Scientists crack the case of the melting sea stars
2025-08-04 · bioGraphic: Unmasking the Sea Star Killer
2025-08-04 · UW News: Researchers have found the culprit behind sea star wasting disease
2025-07-28 · Salish Current: Fight continues against sea star wasting disease
2024-08-18 · KLCC/KUOW: San Juans’ sea stars start long crawl back from near-extinction
2024 · KUOW: Rare and resilient: Sunflower sea stars found on Oregon Coast
2024 · KUOW: Hope springs eternal for the endangered sunflower sea star
2024 · UW Magazine: At Friday Harbor Labs, scientists give sea stars a chance to shine
2024 · YouTube: Raising sea stars at UW Friday Harbor Laboratories
2024-02-16 · UW News: Video: Bringing stars back to the sea
2024-02 · UW College of the Environment: NBC’s Wild Kingdom features sea star rearing lab at UW Friday Harbor Labs
2023-11-27 · San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance: Breakthrough for Critically Endangered Sea Star Recovery: Cryogenically Preserved Specimens Produce Offspring
2023-11-21 · KNKX: Washington scientist brings new hope to dying coastal sea star
2023-11-14 · OPB: Washington scientist brings new hope to dying coastal sea star
2023-11-02 · PBS / OPB: Oregon Field Guide: Sunflower Sea Stars
2023-10-31 · OPB: Sunflower Sea Stars
2022-10-21 · Salish Current: Devastating wasting illness of influential, iconic sea stars still a mystery
2022-07-21 · Encyclopedia of Puget Sound: Young sunflower sea stars are hungry for urchins
2021-11-11 · Nature Vancouver: Captive Rearing of Sunflower Sea Stars — Dr. Jason Hodin
2021 · NPR Short Wave: The Fight To Save Sunflower Sea Stars
2021-08-04 · KQED: Scientists Are on a Mission to Save These 24-Armed, Bike-Wheel-Sized Sea Creatures
2021-08-04 · NPR: To Save A Huge, 24-Armed Sea Creature, Scientists Become Loving Foster Parents
2021-05-14 · UW Marine Biology: Thousands of baby sea stars born at UW lab are sign of hope for endangered species
2021-03-23 · KNKX: NW scientist taps into personalities, diets to help sunflower sea stars shine again
2021-02-25 · KATU: A sea star, once common in Oregon, nears extinction; here's how scientists plan to save it
2020-12-17 · KNKX: In wake of wasting disease, scientists on San Juan Island rear sunflower sea stars in captivity
2020 · KUOW: 14 baby sea stars are tiny bundles of hope for their critically endangered species
2020 · UW/FHL: A Sunflower Star is Born
Undated · Friends of the San Juans: Unit 3: The loss of the Sunflower Star
Undated · YouTube: Growing Sunflower Stars UW Friday Harbor Lab — 360 Tour