Why You Shouldn’t Pick up Starfish

Yes, they're beautiful, but here’s why you should leave them in the ocean

Hi! We're Alex & Victoria - a digital nomad couple from Copenhagen escaping 9-5 to chase adventures in our beautiful world. Learn more about us here.

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The disappointing reality

While visiting Phu Quoc in March-April 2019 we heard a lot about a famous beach called Starfish Beach.

It’s famous for… Well, you guessed it… Starfish (or Sea Stars!).

It’s not the first beach we have seen with starfish.

In fact, we have been to another beach called Starfish Beach in Bocas Del Toro, Panama – and in The Philippines, we saw a few different beaches with starfish too.

But everywhere, we see the same thing happening…

People are touching, lifting, holding, moving, rearranging and playing with the starfish.

All for the perfect photo.

We have even heard about people throwing them around in the water and some take starfish with them back home in plastic bags as souvenirs.

It’s wrong, it’s irresponsible and it makes us so sad…

This act may appear innocent and harmless but it can be fatal for these wonderful creatures.

Let us tell you why.

The famed Starfish Beach — Starfish Beach on Phu Quoc in Vietnam.

A Complete Travel Guide to Phu Quoc: Vietnam’s Paradise Island Everything you need to know including where to stay, what to do and where to eat on Phu Quoc

Some facts about starfish

Starfish…

…are not fish but they need to breathe to live and they can only do that underwater. They suffocate in the air.
…are prone to mental stress and they react to small changes in their environment. Imagine what it must do to the stress level being forced out of the water.
…are extremely fragile and they have tiny structures all over their bodies that might get hurt by a human’s touch. Even a gentle poke can be harmful.
…can get contaminated with bacteria passed on from the hands of a human which can result in a slow and painful death.

Doing anything else than looking at starfish will harm them and in most cases, it will be the cause of their death.

Starfish in water — Starfish are beautiful, fragile creatures.

Be a part of the solution

We know that many people don’t know this.

That it’s not on purpose.

And we do not want to blame anybody, but instead, simply point out that we are all responsible when it comes to the future of our planet and its inhabitants.

That’s why we need to spread awareness.

We need to take better care of these magical marine animals.

And you can help too!

Next time you go to the beach and have the urge to take some beautiful photos, better not risking another creature’s life.

If you see someone harming starfish by picking them up or moving them, you can step in and inform the person about the damage it can cause. Objectively and without blame.

Disturbing nature for the perfect Instagram photo is NOT worth it!