Starfish are making a comeback on the West Coast, four years after a mysterious syndrome killed millions of them. Starfish are fighting their way back to the West Coast, years after a mysterious syndrome killed millions of them. A catastrophic number of the sea creatures were killed around 2013-2014 by Sea Star Wasting Syndrome. Starfish from British Columbia to Mexico would develop lesions and then disintegrate, with their arms turning into goo. This photos shows a starfish suffering from a wasting disease epidemic is shown in this handout photo courtesy of Kevin Lafferty of the United States Geological Survey, provided November 17, 2014.