Divers along the Pacific coast once had ample opportunity to glimpse a now-rare undersea treasure: a sea star so massive, its two dozen arms could span more than 3 feet across. These manhole cover-sized creatures, among the largest starfish in the world, were sunflower stars (Pycnopodia helianthoides), and their presence in kelp forests was a sign of a healthy ecosystem. From Mexico to Alaska, sunflower stars historically fed on sea urchin populations, which otherwise balloon out of control and destroy kelp forests. 

The sunflower star’s near-total extinction due to a mysterious illness in the mid-2010s therefore alarmed scientists, who have been working over the past decade to resuscitate the creature’s dwindling numbers. Those efforts received a massive morale boost this month when, for the first time, a California-based conservation collective successfully transplanted dozens of captive-bred stars into Monterey Bay. The hope is that, with further reintroductions, sunflower stars could once again become a common sight, helping kelp forests to thrive.

Ashley Kidd of Sunflower Star Laboratory hands a star-filled bag to colleague Andrew Kim before a dive.

Andrew Kim of Sunflower Star Laboratory retrieves a juvenile sunflower star from a bag in Monterey, Calif.

“The success of this research project is a testament to the collaborative efforts of so many people working together over many years,” Norah Eddy, associate director of oceans programs with the Nature Conservancy, said in a news release emailed to SFGATE, adding, “We’re grateful for this opportunity to work alongside our partners on restoring and recovering our marine ecosystem.”

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Trouble first began for sunflower stars in 2013, when an unknown illness swept........

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