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Australia: Government Reigns in Seahorse Rustlers |
| August 4, 2004 |
 | The pygmy seahorse, the world's smallest seahorse, is found in the waters of New South Wales.
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New legislation recently introduced by the New South Wales government is aiming to protect seahorses from unsustainable exploitation. The protection afforded under the new laws applies to the family of fishes known collectively as syngnathiformes - of which seahorses, pipehorses and sea dragons are members.
The legislation, enacted on July 1, makes it an offence to collect or harvest any of these species without a permit. Anyone caught unlawfully taking syngnathiformes will face heavy penalties, including fines of up to $55,000 for corporations, and $11,000 for individuals, plus a possible three-month jail term.
New South Wales is home to as many as 37 of the world’s species of syngnathiformes. Three of these species – White’s seahorse, Coleman’s seahorse and the pygmy pipehorse – are endemic, meaning they are not found anywhere else in the world.
These bizarre and beautiful creatures are found mainly in seagrasses, coral reefs and sponge gardens from tropical to warm temperate habitats, and around man-made structures such as jetties. Because of their limited range and fragile habitat, they are especially sensitive to changes in their environment due to human activities.
Seahorses are under considerable threat from overfishing and human disturbance. In addition, global demand for seahorses is growing, especially in Southeast Asia, where they are used for medicinal purposes and as dried curiosities in the tourist trade.
In 2001, approximately 25 million dead seahorses – or more than 70 metric tonnes - were used worldwide in traditional Chinese medicine and as tourist souvenirs. Hundreds of thousands of live seahorses were also sold for the aquarium trade, mostly in North America, Europe, Japan and Taiwan.
In May of this year, seahorses became among the first commercially important marine fishes to be listed under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES). CITES, an international treaty with 166 signatory nations, aims to ensure that international trade in animal and plant species does not damage wild populations.
The Vancouver-based conservation organization Project Seahorse was instrumental in bringing the plight of seahorses to the attention of CITES, recommending the implementation of a minimum size limit of 10 cm to ensure that populations are sustainably harvested.
Consumers can help wild seahorses by refusing to purchase curios or souvenirs made from seahorses or their habitat (such as corals). Since shrimp farms in Southeast Asia frequently destroy seahorse habitat, seafood lovers can also help by avoiding imported shrimp and purchasing domestic, trap-caught shrimp.
Source: Vancouver Aquarium Marine Science Centre
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