Shining a light on...Seahorses - Ecosilk Bags

Shining a light on…Seahorses

By Emily Hay 30th August 2024

Seahorses are regarded globally as a ‘threatened’ species and need our attention and help to avoid becoming extinct over the next thirty years. Although they are just one of many threatened species, if we can get the formula right to protect them, the spin-off will be that thousands of other species will also be protected. They are incredibly gorgeous and fascinating – with a horse-like head, monkey-like tail, and kangaroo-like pouch – if we can’t get it right for seahorses, then what will happen to all the less attractive creatures of the sea? Seahorses are often referred to as the ambassadors for healthier oceans.

The name
Their scientific name is Hippocampus, which translates to horse caterpillar in Latin, bent horse in Greek and horse monster from the Ancient Greeks. In Greek mythology they were believed to have the head and front legs of a horse and the strong tail of a dolphin. They lead Poseidon’s chariot (God of the Sea) across the oceans. The name seahorse originates from Middle English – Sehors – the equivalent of sea + horse. Seahorses have slow, graceful movements and a calm demeanour, symbolising themes like patience, contentment, protection and fatherhood.


Interesting facts
• Seahorses’ group name is a ‘herd’.
• Baby seahorses are called ‘fry’.
• Female seahorses tend to have larger brains than males.
• Seahorses have a top speed of 150cm per hour, due to their tail being prehensile – it can hold onto things like seagrasses to stop being swept away by currents while they sleep – and only having a dorsal fin to propel themselves, fluttering at about 35 beats per second.
• They are extremely manoeuvrable and can hover precisely.
• The male is the only animal species on earth that gets pregnant and gives birth. Males have a brood pouch (marsupium) into which the female deposits eggs – the male then fertilises them and carries the eggs until they hatch (called husbandry, instead of midwifery).
• There are a recognised 46 species and range in size from 2cm – 35cm.
• They live between 1 – 5 years in the wild depending on their size.
• Seahorses can be monogamous and pair for life.
• They have binocular vision, meaning each eye can move independently of the other one, so they can process visual information rapidly.
• They can change colour to camouflage into their environment for protection, or as part of the courtship ritual to bond with their partner.
• They are a fish and are carnivorous.
• Seahorses do not have a stomach, so they must eat 30 to 50 times per day by sucking their prey in through a tubular snout.
• They are ambush predators, keeping still while waiting for prey such as small shrimplike creatures or baby fish. They will have a crack at anything that passes and can sometimes be seen choking on something that was too big.
• They live along the world’s tropical and temperate coastlines.
Threats
Seahorses have few predators due to their excellent ability to camouflage, but also because their exoskeleton is made up of bony plates and spines. However, the overwhelming threat to them globally is from fisheries, largely due to the practice of bottom trawling, and other non-selective fishing practices. Bottom trawling is the practice of dragging large, weighted nets along the ocean floor, catching everything in their path but also wrecking habitats. Seahorses, due to their slow swimming speed, cannot escape and are particularly susceptible. The catch from bottom trawling is often sold, unsorted, for a minimal amount, as feed for farmed fish or other animals. Trawlers catch tens of millions of seahorses each year – the practice is unregulated, unmanaged and unreported. In addition, bottom trawlers mow down seahorse’s habitat of seagrasses, soft corals and sponges.
It is estimated that 70 million seahorses are caught each year, with 80 countries involved in their trade. Bottom trawling’s non-selective practices are particularly bad for feeding the world’s populations, because it takes all the juvenile fish that should be left to grow into larger fish. It also contributes to climate change by physically disturbing sediment, which disrupts carbon sequestration and re-suspends stored carbon where it can more easily break down – resulting in more carbon emissions. It has been claimed that bottom trawling releases more carbon dioxide than the entire aviation industry! Bottom trawling destroys livelihoods for small scale fishers (think Woolworths & Coles against a stall at a farmers’ market). Finally, bottom trawling has been linked to slavery and forced labour practices. It’s got to stop. Governments around the world often subsidise bottom trawling by way of fuel subsidies as rising fuel prices and falling prawn prices due to cheaper farmed prawns come into effect. It is mystifying that governments are looking only at the short-term gain with this appalling approach to fishing, instead of the bigger picture – sustainable, managed, healthy oceans. Point to note: the Australian government does not subsidise bottom trawling.


Other threats to seahorses include habitat loss and degradation, due to coastal developments, sedimentation, eutrophication and pollution. Climate change and invasive species is another threat. Small scale fisheries that deliberately target seahorses are also a threat.
Seahorses work hard to produce few offspring, compared to other types of fish species, which in turn results in limited population recovery. This is also contributed to by the loyalty that seahorses have to small areas, so their reproduction is severely compromised by habitat loss and degradation. For example, a pygmy seahorse may remain on one coral branch for its entire life. Due also to their reduced mobility, they have a limited ability to connect with other seahorse populations.
What needs to be done
Attitudes to marine species need to change. As a society, we regard sea life as something that ends up on our plate, with little knowledge or understanding of how it got there or where it came from. We need to respect all creatures from the sea, the same way we do creatures of the land. Marine fishes need our attention, protection, and funding just as other animals do.
Marine protected areas, where fishing is either stopped, reduced or made sustainable, are vital for the recovery of our oceans. In simple terms, they protect species and habitat, allowing it to flourish peacefully without the intervention of human activity. As populations recover and increase, the result is a spilling over effect, so that life increases outside of the marine protected area, as well as in it. This is especially so with seahorses, which are so badly affected by bottom trawling and non-specific fishing practices. The world is moving towards committing to protection of 30% of each nation’s oceans by 2030.
Bottom trawling, quite simply, must end. The government subsidising of fuel, which largely enables such practices, must also end.
Unsustainable wildlife trade must also be regulated on national and global scales.
The implementation of laws for marine conservation needs to be respected, but also funded adequately so that enforcement can be implemented.
We need to act globally to protect our oceans, which means commitment from all nations.


How we can help, as individuals 😊
Being ever mindful of eutrophication – where excess nutrients run-off into waterways and end up in the ocean, resulting in an abundance of algae and plant matter, which then breaks down and releases large amounts of carbon dioxide. Basically, eutrophication ramps up climate change.
To address eutrophication and run off:
• The next time you fertilise your garden, ask yourself if you can use less. It’s so easy to just happily sprinkle on fertilisers, without thinking about the consequences for marine mammals such as sea lions.
• Use a fertiliser with either zero or low phosphorous – look for a zero (0) beside the letter (P).
• Australians love their pets – 38% of households own dogs. Dog poo contributes to eutrophication, but it is a great resource – think about composting it as a sustainable source of fertiliser. (Cat poo cannot be composted due to parasites, so must be binned, most unfortunately).
• Wash your car on your lawn, not in a driveway or on the road, to limit runoff.
• If heavy rain is predicted, fertilise your garden on another day. You will be more efficient that way, and limit eutrophication.
Talk about bottom trawling and how bad it is – mass clearing of land gets coverage in the media – but when do we ever see what happens on ocean floors when bottom trawlers come through? The destruction left behind can be seen from space. This is an ongoing environmental disaster for our oceans, but largely slips under the radar as it cannot be seen.
Choose your seafood wisely – avoid trawled seafood and farmed prawns – as they have a devastating effect on mangroves around the world, which is also habitat for seahorses. A great resource – GoodFish: Australia’s Sustainable Seafood Guide (an initiative by the Australian Marine Conservation Society). Remember that buying power creates change – one small step adds up to millions when everyone gets onboard (no pun intended).
Start a conversation about an amazing marine species. Seahorses are great because they have unusual talking points – the males get pregnant and give birth and the females have bigger brains than the males – what’s not to love? Conversations raise the consciousness and spread the word. It all helps. And it’s fun!
Oceans make up 71% of the Earth’s surface and provide us with oxygen, food, climate regulation and much more. They deserve more attention, respect and care.
Ecosilk Bags has a pack of four Shopping bags, called the Seahorse pack – in gorgeous blue and green ocean colours. A percentage of every pack is donated to AMCS – the Australian Marine Conservation Society – who constantly strive to protect our oceans and all marine wildlife and ensure that Australia’s coasts and oceans remain healthy and free.
Support seahorses and buy a pack today here for $47.00.