The once vast kelp forests of the West Coast are vanishing at an astounding rate. Bull Kelp was already struggling due to changes in ocean chemistry and temperature when the Sea Star population was wiped out by a viral disease known as Sea Star Wasting Syndrome. Hardest hit were the massive Sun-Flower Sea Stars, who, in a few short years have come to the brink of extinction. Sun-Flower Sea Stars were voracious predators, feeding extensively on Green Sea Urchins. Sea Urchins feed on kelp, and the bottom is now littered with them and there is little hope for the fragile kelp seedlings attempting to grow each spring. A very large number of sea creatures depend on kelp, including Sea Otters and several economically important fish species. The implications of these changes are just beginning to be realized.