Thousands of Starfish Wash Ashore on Beaches near Charleston

ISLE OF PALMS, S.C. (AP) _ Thousands of big ,reddish starfish have washed up on Charleston-area beaches, victims of offshore winds which push them out of the water at high tide. The Post and Courier of Charleston reports the phenomenon happens a few times each winter on Lowcountry beaches. The starfish are stranded when the tide goes out. Mel Bell, S,C. Department of Natural Resources fisheries management director, said while it’s not a calamity for the starfish, it could signal trouble. Bell recalled that in 2011-12, prolonged cold spells dropped water temperatures near the 40-degree mark. Biologists were alarmed when hundreds of thousands of menhaden and starfish washed ashore on Folly Beach. At that temperature, mass die-offs can occur with any number of species, including shrimp. Water temperatures currently remain in the low 50s.