Sea star wasting disease has devastated Pacific sea star populations since 2013, causing rapid and gruesome death in millions of individuals. The welfare dimensions of this epidemic deserve recognition.
Sea star wasting disease causes progressive tissue destruction over days in affected individuals. The dissolution of limbs while the animal remains alive represents significant welfare harm if sea stars have any capacity for experience — and their complex nervous systems and clear nociceptive responses suggest this is plausible. The scale of the epidemic — millions of individuals dying rapidly — makes this one of the largest acute wildlife welfare events in recent history. Ocean warming that amplifies disease severity is a primary lever for prevention.