Nestled in the picturesque surrounds of Beauty Point, Tasmania, a business once harboured an ambitious plan: to supply the global traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) market with approximately one million dried seahorses annually. This vision, however, for Seahorse World, operated from a humble shed, was destined to remain unrealised.
For decades, millions of dried seahorses have been traded worldwide, primarily for their purported medicinal properties in TCM, addressing ailments ranging from asthma and incontinence to impotence. The sheer volume of this trade, often operating outside regulatory frameworks and involving the capture of vast numbers of these unique marine creatures, ultimately presented an insurmountable barrier for the Tasmanian enterprise.
Consequently, Seahorse World, under the ownership of Rachelle and Craig Hawkins since 2002, has successfully pivoted its operations. Today, the business thrives by exporting live seahorses to aquariums across the globe and drawing in a steady stream of tourists to its facility.
“Our initial aspiration was to cultivate millions of pot-bellied seahorses for the traditional Chinese medicine market as a conservation strategy,” explained Ms Hawkins. “The intention was to foster a farmed product to alleviate the pressure on wild populations.” She maintains a strong belief in the potential of seahorse farming to significantly bolster wild populations, though this perspective is not universally shared within the conservation community.
The Complexities of the Dried Seahorse Trade
The flourishing, yet largely unregulated and unsustainable, trade in dried seahorses presents considerable challenges for conservation efforts. Sarah Foster, who spearheads the research initiative Project Seahorse, highlights the intricate nature of this global market.
“Over the years, numerous aquaculture ventures have emerged with the aim of mitigating or addressing the impact of international trade on wild seahorse populations,” Dr Foster stated. “While this is a commendable concept in principle, its practical implementation is exceptionally difficult.”
A primary driver of this difficulty is the prevalence of bottom trawling. This fishing method, which involves dragging large nets across the ocean floor, allows for the indiscriminate and inexpensive capture of large quantities of seahorses. These catches are then subsequently sold at low prices, making farmed alternatives economically uncompetitive. Seahorse World, for instance, aimed to sell dried seahorses for approximately $400 per kilogram, a price point significantly higher than that of wild-caught specimens.
Furthermore, establishing successful seahorse aquaculture farms, such as the one in Beauty Point, is a complex undertaking due to the inherent challenges in breeding these creatures.
- Dietary Requirements: Seahorses possess rudimentary stomachs, meaning they cannot store food and require very frequent feeding.
- This necessitates a constant supply of nourishment, demanding careful management of their feeding schedules.
- Live Food Dependency: Generally, seahorses will not consume dead food.
- This means that live food must be cultivated and introduced into their tanks, adding another layer of complexity and cost to their upkeep.
Despite these challenges, there are emerging reports from China indicating the establishment of aquaculture farms specifically for the purpose of supplying the dry trade. These facilities are reportedly focusing on the same species that Seahorse World had initially targeted.
“We have received intelligence suggesting that facilities have been established in China to breed large volumes of a particular species – Hippocampus abdominalis, an Australian seahorse species – in significant numbers for the dry trade,” Dr Foster revealed. “Further on-the-ground research is crucial to ascertain the extent to which these farmed seahorses are entering the dry trade, as opposed to the historically almost exclusively wild-sourced seahorses.”
The Enduring Fascination with Seahorses
Seahorses have captured the public’s imagination, becoming an iconic symbol of marine conservation. Their unique appearance and behaviours make them particularly engaging for the public.
“Seahorses serve as an excellent conservation icon,” remarked Mr Martin-Smith. “People are genuinely fascinated by them, which is not the case for many other fish species. This fascination provides a valuable avenue for engaging people in marine conservation efforts.”
Beyond the trade, seahorses face significant threats from targeted illegal fishing, habitat loss, and destruction. These pressures have led to their endangered status, which is formally recognised by the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES).
CITES is an international agreement involving 185 countries that aims to regulate the trade of endangered species. Several seahorse species are listed on its register, indicating the global concern for their survival.
“Many of the historically significant source countries for seahorses have actually ceased exports,” Dr Foster noted. “This was often due to difficulties in meeting CITES obligations and proving the sustainability of their trade. Consequently, legal trade has been halted.”
However, the problem persists. Because seahorses are often caught as bycatch in non-selective fishing gear, and due to their small size when dried, they are easily concealed and continue to be trafficked across borders. Dr Foster emphasises that the critical focus must shift towards combating unregulated fishing practices, particularly bottom trawling, which inflicts severe damage on marine habitats.
