PERTH: Thousands of starfish have washed up on Moreton Island off south-east Queensland in a mass stranding spanning kilometres.
Tour guide Rhett Ericsen-Miller filmed the starfish at the Ben-Ewa campsite, describing the spectacle “tragic yet beautiful”.
Stunned tourists walking the beach feared it was “mass suicide” but University of Queensland marine biologist Kathy Townsend said it was a natural phenomenon.
Dr Townsend said a combination of a strong north-westerly and rough weather aligned to cause the animals to lose their grip on the seagrass beds in which they live.
The starfish, also known as sea stars, did not appear to have wasting disease or lesions.
“It is due to a change in the wind, weather, and tides,” she said.
“All the conditions were in line for that event to occur.”
Dr Townsend said the strandings usually happened once a year, but it is the second one in several weeks.
The population was still healthy, Dr Townsend said, despite the huge number of deaths.
“Just two days ago I was out there and there is still a lot,” she said.
“It doesn’t appear to have affected the population overall.”
She recommended tourists throw the animals back into the sea to give them a chance at survival.
