Endangered Seahorses
The tiny, mighty seahorse is thought to be ubiquitous throughout the world; but there are two species that are endangered. The Cape Seahorse, found in South African waters, as well as White’s Seahorse.
The Cape Seahorse, or Knysna Seahorse, is rare and only found in the South African estuaries of Plettenberg Bay, the Swartzlei system, and Knysna Lagoon. White’s Seahorse is in the Southwest Pacific (from Australia to the New Solomon Islands).
White’s Seahorse ranges in color from a pale white, yellow or brown or black, and grows to about five inches (13 cm) long.
While the Cape Seahorse is only slightly smaller in size, it is speckled and has brown, green, and purplish black coloring. The Knysna estuaries area is brackish salty water, and has a lot of plant growth the seahorse can hide in. Both species are Red Listed by the International Union for Conservation of Nature, (IUCN).
White’s Seahorse, also known as the Sydney or New Holland Seahorse, also prefers weedy areas where its camouflage can keep it safer.
No other seahorses live in estuaries than the scarce Cape Seahorse. Oceanodyssey.co.za says, thus, “Knysna seahorses are particularly vulnerable to adverse shifts in their natural environment.” Although they can tolerate changes in water temperature and salinity, the small size of the area they live in means they are not safe from extinction.
The White’s Seahorse has been affected by pollution, the development of coastal areas, and destructive boaters—who do not know their anchors can impact the marine environment around them.
Researchers into White’s Seahorse have been concerned that more than 90 percent of the population in the Port Stephens area, in Australia, died between 2006-2015. While in Port Jackson, Australia, at least 40 percent died between 2008-2015. Further declines in numbers are expected to continue.
Project Seahorse
The first scientist who studied seahorses underwater, in their own environment, Dr. Amanda Vincent, won the Indianapolis conservation prize in 2020. Professor Vincent, is a co-founder of Project Seahorse along with Doctors Helen Stanley and Heather Koldewey. Project Seahorse provides education, and are activists in the fight again bottom trawling, and the industrial nets that pose great dangers to seahorses. These indiscriminate fishing practices destroy coral reefs, sea grass beds, and mangrove forests.
Project Seahorse advises that climate change kills sea creatures when it “alters food webs, leads to shifts in fish stocks and fishing, and affects the integrity of marine habitats.”
Read more about Project Seahorse
White’s Seahorse
Sources
The Knysna Seahorse: A Special Estuarine Resident. (2019, August 29). Ocean Odyssey. https://www.oceanodyssey.co.za/the-knysna-seahorse/
New Holland seahorse. (2023, January 3). Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Holland_seahorse
White’s seahorse: one of two Endangered seahorse species. (2023, May 20). Project Seahorse: advancing marine conservation. https://projectseahorse.org/whites-seahorse-one-of-two-endangered-seahorse-species/
Discovering the hidden life of the Knysna seahorse. (2023). IUCN SSC Seahorse, Pipefish and Seadragon Specialist Group. https://www.iucn-seahorse.org/news/2021/3/4/hidden-life-of-the-knysna-seahorse
Knysna seahorse (2023, April 16). Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Knysna_seahorse
Who We Are: Project Seahorse is an alliance of individuals, bound by a common commitment to a shared mission and ethos for marine conservation. (2021, June 10). Project Seahorse: advancing marine conservation. https://projectseahorse.org/about-us/
Cape Seahorse - Facts and Photographs. (2015, September 9). Seaunseen. https://seaunseen.com/cape-seahorse/