Warmer waters bringing an increase in starfish

A picture of a pile of approximately 200 starfish that appeared on social media at the weekend prompted a very mixed response, with some people saying it was disgusting and others saying the starfish were pests.

Michelle Levrier took the photo after noticing gulls feeding on them at Bordeaux Harbour next to a fishing boat.

‘I thought this was so sad,’ she said.

‘I didn’t know whether they were an invasive species, but now I know they are a by-catch of the shellfish industry and the needless destruction of life is upsetting. I’m so glad I’m vegetarian.’

Michael Scrimshaw from the Bordeaux Harbour moorings committee said he had probably been the one responsible.

‘I have worked on fishing trawlers for 40 years and this practice has always been going on,’ he said.

‘You have to remove them whenever you can. There is no law against it and it has always been common practice. I understand it can upset people so I won’t leave them on the beach again.’

He said the starfish on the beach represented what he would find in one day.

‘You can find 50 in one pot,’ he said.

‘Take Platte Fougere at the end of the Little Russel, that used to be a great area to fish, now if you put a pot down there all you will get are starfish.’

The starfish in question – Asterias rubens, normally known as the common starfish – feeds on a variety of organisms including types of commercial shellfish such as mussels and ormers. They are sometimes known to occur in dense clusters of up to 100 specimens per square metre.

Mr Scrimshaw added that the local problem had got worse as sea temperatures have risen.

Guernsey Met Office said recently the annual mean sea temperature over the last 10 years was about 1C warmer than it was in 1980s, with eight of the last 10 years seeing sea temperatures above the long-term average.

Guernsey saw its highest-ever recorded sea temperature of 18.7C last September.

‘They seem to have come early as well this year,

again probably due to an increase in sea temperature,’ Mr Scrimshaw added.

‘Any fisherman who finds them in their pots leaves them to dry out on the boat and then drops them in the sea. If you had rats in your house you would get rid of them, this is no different.’