Did you know that there is an endangered sea star only found in southeast Tasmania that grows up to a mere 15 mm across? What also makes the species unusual is that it doesn't lay eggs and leave them, but instead gives birth to live young.

This characteristic has lead to it being named the live-bearing sea star (Parvulastra vivipara). Since early 2025, the Wildcare Friends of Lumeah Point group (FOLP) has supported research to understand these endangered creatures and their threats.

Seastar 2 The live-bearing sea star has five arms that give it a rounded pentagonal shape

In 2024, Dr Beth Strain of the University of Tasmania (UTas) Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies (IMAS) began studying Tasmanian endemic live-bearing sea star (P. vivipara) in Pipeclay Lagoon, on the South Arm Peninsula to the southeast of Hobart. She found that the sea star populations at Lumeah Point were significantly declining. Beth's honours student found that invasive species—feral Pacific oysters and New Zealand porcelain crabs—are likely contributing to the sea star’s decline by competing for resources and changing its habitat. Next, Dr Strain's group received Department of Natural Resources and Environment Tasmania (NRE Tas) project funding to investigate the impact of removing the invasive species at several beaches where this sea star species could still be found, including Lumeah Point. The research field work was a big job, and more help was needed to remove the invasive oysters and crabs.

Lumeah Working Bee Lumeah Point intertidal zone with Wildcare members in the distance removing invasive species

Pacific oysters have a long history of being farmed in Pipeclay Lagoon. Oysters that settle outside of the farming area are often referred to as "feral", and accumulate on rocky shorelines and changing the habitat.

In February of 2025, the IMAS team approached FOLP about helping count densities of sea stars, feral Pacific oysters, and invasive New Zealand porcelain crabs, as well as removing the invasive species. Over 15 months the IMAS and Wildcare teams collectively recorded and removed approximately 23,760 Pacific oysters and 16,080 porcelain crabs over 10 field days! Wildcare Friends of Lumeah Critically Endangered Endemic Livebearing Seastar Intertidal Zone Habitat Cleanup. IMAS and Wildcare champions during one of the 11 working bees focused on removing invasive oyster and porcelain crab

In September 2026, the IMAS team shared a report analysis exploring the effectiveness of removing the invasive oyster and crab species from live-bearing sea star habitats. One key finding was that density of the sea stars increased locally at shorelines where intensive removal of invasive species occurred. As hopeful as this outcome is, the local increase in population densities are not likely to offset system-wide declines of the sea stars. This indicates that additional factors are likely impacting sea star populations. Undeterred, the IMAS team will continue monitoring lagoon biota broadly, and exploring additional ways to continue cooperatively investigating with FOLP, what the live-bearing sea star (P. vivipara) requires to survive into the future.

Call for Wildcare Lumeah Point Leaders

While there is plenty of ongoing opportunity and need for the FOLP crew to support IMAS's research and the endemic live-bearing sea star, after 12 years dedicated years Wildcare Friends of Lumeah Point's leader Garry Hulme has decided to step down.

Over the group's lifetime, it has been engaged in a wide variety of conservation activities, from track improvement and weed pulling, to its most recent partnership efforts with IMAS. The group operates fairly informally, and there are diverse leadership opportunities with varying levels of commitment. There's also lots of succession and ongoing support on offer from Wildcare's office team.

If you are interested in exploring how you might help sustain the important work of the Wildcare Friends of Lumeah Point and shape its future, reach out to Garry (garry.hulme@gmail.com), as well as Wildcare's Community Engagement Manager, Jessie Oliver (membersupport@wildcaretas.org.au).

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