精英翻譯轉自https://features.ltn.com.tw/english/article/paper/1556522
◎陳成良
Scientists along the West Coast are calling for action to help sunflower sea stars, among the largest sea stars in the world, recover from catastrophic population declines.
西海岸的科學家呼籲採取行動，幫助世界上最大海星之一的向日葵海星，從災難性的數量下降中恢復過來。
Experts say a sea star wasting disease epidemic that began in 2013 has decimated about 95% of the population from the Aleutian Islands of Alaska to Mexico’s Baja California peninsula, The Astorian reported.
據《阿斯托利亞人報》報導，專家表示，2013年開始出現的「海星消耗病」（sea star wasting disease）流行病，導致阿拉斯加州阿留申群島至墨西哥下加利福尼亞州半島水域的向日葵海星數目減少95％。
The decline triggered the International Union for Conservation of Nature to classify the species as critically endangered in 2020. A petition to list the species under the federal Endangered Species Act was filed in 2021.
這種下降促使國際自然保護聯盟（IUCN） 2020年將該物種列為嚴重瀕危品種，2021年有聯署請求將其納入聯邦《瀕危品種法》品種名單。
The sea stars, which are among the largest in the world and can span more than 3 feet (91 centimeters), are predators to the kelp-eating sea urchin. Without them, sea urchin populations have exploded, causing a troubling decline in kelp forests that provide food and shelter to many aquatic species along the West Coast.
這種海星是世界上最大海星之一，體長可超過3英尺（91公分），捕食吃海帶的海膽。如果沒有牠們，海膽的數量會急劇增加，進而導致西海岸為許多水生物種提供食物和住所的海帶林減少，令人不安。
新聞辭典
endemic：名詞，（地方性）流行病；（流行病）傳播；流行，例句： The epidemic continues to spread uncontrollably.（這個流行病繼續無法控制地傳染著。）
decimate：動詞，大批毀滅；重挫。例句：Wars decimate the population.（戰爭使人民大量死亡。）
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