# I caught a starfish **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [April 11, 2004, 9:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-caught-a-starfish/239491 "2004-04-11T21:23:53Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 18\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2004, 9:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-caught-a-starfish/239491/1 "2004-04-11T21:23:53Z")
I haven’t been fishing since I was 15. (Well, I went last week; but it was more “playing-at-fishing”.) A friend and I went out in the zodiac today to try our luck. We were hoping for surf perch, cod, or some sort of flounder. We were using herring for bait. Well, we didn’t catch any fish; but I did get an echinoderm. My line was rather heavy, and when I pulled it up there was a large (about 40cm) sea star clinging tenaciously to my herring head. As it happens, the hooks we bought were double. There is one hook, then a second one about 10cm down from the first. The top hook (the one without bait) was stick in the sea star’s arm. Well, that’s what it gets for trying to steal my bait! We traid another spot to no avail. We stopped where we had seen a large number of flounders before, and tried there. When my friend’s Pocket Fisherman malfunctioned, we decided to head in. I felt a tug when I reeled in my line, and when I got the hook in I saw that something had gotten the bait. There was just a bit of backbone on the hook. Probably dungeness crabs got to the bait both times my hook came up empty. But at least I caught a starfish. ---
**Author:** ![LolaBaby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/d2c977/32.png) [@LolaBaby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LolaBaby)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2004, 9:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-caught-a-starfish/239491/2 "2004-04-11T21:26:46Z")
So did you have it with fava beans and a nice Chianti? ---
**Author:** ![Revtim](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/revtim/32/1042_2.png) [@Revtim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Revtim)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2004, 9:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-caught-a-starfish/239491/3 "2004-04-11T21:44:28Z")
You could cut it up into pieces, then watch the pieces grow into new starfish. That’s probably cruel though, I cannot recommend you do that. ---
**Author:** ![Ashkicker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/4bbf92/32.png) [@Ashkicker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ashkicker)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2004, 9:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-caught-a-starfish/239491/4 "2004-04-11T21:45:17Z")
I didn’t know you could eat starfish. ---
**Author:** ![sailor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a587f6/32.png) [@sailor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sailor)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2004, 9:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-caught-a-starfish/239491/5 "2004-04-11T21:50:24Z")
I heard they are considered pests because they eat the young shellfish so fishermen harvest starfishes just to get rid of them and they are used for fertilizer. ---
**Author:** ![Boyo\_Jim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/87869e/32.png) [@Boyo\_Jim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boyo_Jim)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2004, 10:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-caught-a-starfish/239491/6 "2004-04-11T22:46:04Z")
You did right. No responsible seaman would stay out on the water once the Pocket Fisherman malfunctioned. ---
**Author:** ![Sylkyn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/da6949/32.png) [@Sylkyn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sylkyn)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2004, 10:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-caught-a-starfish/239491/7 "2004-04-11T22:51:50Z")
First thing I thought of, when I read the OP’s title, was the screensaver “Johnny Castaway”. He always grumbled and griped under his breath when he caught that stupid starfish. Couldn’t eat that. Cool, though. Wish you’d taken a picture. They’re kind of neat looking. I don’t think I’ve ever seen one that wasn’t already dead and in a Panama City souvenir shop. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2004, 11:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-caught-a-starfish/239491/8 "2004-04-11T23:41:52Z")
> [@](#): > > You could cut it up into pieces, then watch the pieces grow into new starfish. Wouldn’t want to do that! As **sailor** mentioned, they can be pests. I was going to say that sea stars eat the holdfasts of kelp, but I’m not certain. (I know urchins do; so killing seals imcreases the urchin populaion, which reduces the kelp forest, which results in the loss of something else…) Anyway, too many sea stars can be a bad thing. > [@](#): > > I didn’t know you could eat starfish. I was watching a documentary a few weeks ago, where a European oceanographer was being led into the Arctic by native fishermen. They Inuit guys caught a couple of sea stars and ate them by ripping off the arms and sucking whatever was inside of the arms out of them. > [@](#): > > Cool, though. Wish you’d taken a picture. How do you know we didn’t? 😉 Actually, we did take two snaps of it. I’ll try to remember to post it after I finish off the roll. As to the fate of the sea star: After taking the photos I tossed it back into the ocean. ---
**Author:** ![koeeoaddi](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/koeeoaddi/32/408_2.png) [@koeeoaddi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/koeeoaddi)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2004, 11:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-caught-a-starfish/239491/9 "2004-04-11T23:54:14Z")
[Elizabeth Bishop] — until everything was rainbow, rainbow, rainbow! And I let the fish go. [[/The Fish]](http://bcs.bedfordstmartins.com/virtualit/poetry/fish_elements.html) My favorite kind of fish story, **Johnny L.A.**! ---
**Author:** ![Ashkicker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/4bbf92/32.png) [@Ashkicker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ashkicker)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2004, 12:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-caught-a-starfish/239491/10 "2004-04-12T00:03:29Z")
> [@Johnny L.A.](#): > > As to the fate of the sea star: After taking the photos I tossed it back into the ocean. Cool. That is what I was hoping you did with it. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![LolaBaby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/d2c977/32.png) [@LolaBaby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LolaBaby)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2004, 12:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-caught-a-starfish/239491/11 "2004-04-12T00:47:50Z")
I hope this isn’t a rule being broken. If it is I apologize in advance and edit my post as you see fit. > [@](#): > > The Starfish Story > > Once upon a time there was a wise man who used to go to > > the ocean to do his writing. He had a habit of walking on the > > beach before he began his work. > > One day he was walking along the shore. As he looked > > down the beach, he saw a human figure moving like a dancer. > > He smiled to himself to think of someone who would dance > > to the day. So he began to walk faster to catch up. > > As he got closer, he saw that it was a young man and the > > young man wasn’t dancing, but instead he was reaching > > down to the shore, picking up something and very gently > > throwing it into the ocean. > > As he got closer he called out, > > “Good morning! What are you doing?” > > The young man paused, looked up and replied, > > “Throwing starfish in the ocean.” > > "I guess I should have asked, why are you throwing > > starfish in the ocean?" > > "The sun is up, and the tide is going out. And if I don’t > > throw them in they’ll die." > > "But, young man, don’t you realize that there are miles and > > miles of beach, and starfish all along it. You can’t possibly > > make a difference!" > > The young man listened politely. Then bent down, picked > > another starfish and threw it into the sea, past the breaking > > waves and said, > > “It made a difference for that one.” > > There is something very special in each and every one of us. > > We have all been gifted with the ability to make a difference. > > And if we can become aware of that gift, we gain through the > > strength of our visions the power to shape the future. > > We must each find our starfish. And if we throw our stars > > wisely and well, the world will be blessed. > > Attributed to Loren Eisley ---
**Author:** ![Tikki](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/5daacb/32.png) [@Tikki](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tikki)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2004, 1:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-caught-a-starfish/239491/12 "2004-04-12T01:16:58Z")
Aww, that was nice LolaBaby. Johnny, you’ll soon find that catching starfish up here isn’t uncommon. Especially if you try your luck at squidding. My family was on a dock watching people squid a few months ago. One of them had pulled up a big sun star with about 8 or 10 arms and dumped it on the dock to die. Starfish are the bane of squidders. My sister and I picked it up and tossed it over the other side of the dock, hoping it wouldn’t make it’s way back to the squidders’ side. I think we earned the irritation of at least one of them, probably more. What’s cool is catching a sea pen. Especially near dusk. They’re orange but have these stripes of green bioluminesence that pulsate up their plumes when they’re scared. Of course, we toss them back too. You should get yourself a crab pot though. Crabs are too tasty to toss back. Much to their chagrin, I’m sure. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2004, 12:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-caught-a-starfish/239491/13 "2004-04-12T12:11:10Z")
> [@](#): > > You should get yourself a crab pot though. Unfortunately, crab season doesn’t start until August. I suppose I could gather oysters though. ---
**Author:** ![Bad\_News\_Baboon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/5fc32e/32.png) [@Bad\_News\_Baboon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bad_News_Baboon)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2004, 4:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-caught-a-starfish/239491/14 "2004-04-12T16:19:41Z")
For God’s sakes, throw it BACK. Poor Spongebob will be lonely if you don’t. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2023, 2:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-caught-a-starfish/239491/15 "2023-11-03T14:38:50Z")
Bumped. TIL about starfish: [https://www.cnn.com/2023/11/02/world/starfish-head-body-plan-scn/index.html](https://www.cnn.com/2023/11/02/world/starfish-head-body-plan-scn/index.html) ---
**Author:** ![Dag\_Otto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/439d5e/32.png) [@Dag\_Otto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dag_Otto)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2023, 5:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-caught-a-starfish/239491/16 "2023-11-03T17:20:10Z")
Missed my chance to get out for Halloween as a starfish zombie. Or perhaps a zombie starfish. ---
**Author:** ![markn\_1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f9ae1b/32.png) [@markn\_1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/markn_1)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2023, 5:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-caught-a-starfish/239491/17 "2023-11-03T17:44:44Z")
I once saw a Crown of Thorns seastar when I was snorkeling in Hawaii. It looked similar to this. Very cool. > **[Crown-of-thorns Starfish by Georgette Douwma](https://sciencephotogallery.com/featured/10-crown-of-thorns-starfish-georgette-douwma.html)** > > Crown-of-thorns Starfish Photograph by Georgette Douwma ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2023, 5:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-caught-a-starfish/239491/18 "2023-11-03T17:55:37Z")
I caught a starfish around 10 years ago, which is also around 10 years after the OP caught one. Just foul snagged it I assume. Caught a plastic bag that day also. Threw the starfish back, kept the bag to dispose of in the appropriate place. Still more than my fishing buddy caught that day so I recorded in the W column.