Project Seahorse

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Project Seahorse

Leaders in marine conservation - we take effective action for seahorses and their seas.

08/21/2026

Citizen scientist Jon Biesse has spotted one of our “missing” seahorse species! 🎉 These are species that are known to science but lack observations or data on iSeahorse, our global citizen science project hosted on iNaturalist.

While swimming alongside a whale shark in Western Australia, Jon spotted a Zebra seahorse (𝘏𝘪𝘱𝘱𝘰𝘤𝘢𝘮𝘱𝘶𝘴 𝘻𝘦𝘣𝘳𝘢), floating in sargassum. This sighting is a rare one, and by sharing it with iSeahorse, Jon is providing valuable data that helps our scientists further their understanding of the species to better protect it.

With this, our search for missing seahorse species continues. If you have seen one or have any record of them, please share your observation on www.iseahorse.org. It could be the one that helps us learn more about them!

Read more: https://projectseahorse.org/missing-zebra-seahorse-spotted-by-citizen-scientist

08/20/2026

How does retrospective bias, a human memory error, affect conservation?

For this week, we turn to a study that combined daily fisher logbooks with historical interviews, with results revealing that relying solely on recent data might lead us to underestimate how vulnerable a species truly is.

Learn more here: https://projectseahorse.org/resource/how-does-the-accuracy-of-fisher-knowledge-affect-seahorse-conservation-status/

08/17/2026

A seahorse identification guide developed through our Philippine Seahorse Program: Saving Mr Mom is now being used as the model for identification materials covering other priority marine species, including sharks, marine mammals and Napoleon wrasse in the Philiippines. 💙

The aim is to create a more consistent approach to species identification for wildlife enforcement officers, supporting efforts to combat illegal fishing and illegal marine wildlife trade.

The work is being led by national fisheries agencies in the Philippines, and we are proud to see a tool developed for seahorses contributing to marine wildlife protection more broadly. 🌊

Read more: https://projectseahorse.org/our-seahorse-guide-helps-shape-marine-wildlife-enforcement-training-in-the-philippines/

08/14/2026

🐠 As we continue to spotlight our global arts movement, Inspired by Iconic Fishes, we are delighted to introduce Kelley Whitley – an educator, scuba diver, and ocean artivist.

Witnessing our reef ecosystems decline over the years inspired Kelley to act. Through her 100 Days Project, she painted a different reef fish every day – and, inspired by Project Seahorse, dedicated 20 of her paintings to our !

As a college chemistry educator, Kelley blends her scientific precision with creativity – she uses her art to bring the underwater world to the surface, encouraging others to help protect it. To spread her message even further, she generously gifts her original paintings to strangers while on dive trips, inspiring others to protect the ocean we love.

If Kelley’s story sparks your creativity, we’d love to have you join us in bridging art and marine conservation. Start by checking out our Inspiration Kit on www.iconicfishes.art

Read more here: https://projectseahorse.org/meet-ocean-artivist-kelley-whitley/

08/13/2026

For this week’s spotlight study, we look to a landmark genetic study that reveals the complexity of male pregnancy in seahorses and pipefishes – the male brood pouch seen in these creatures was not a slow, linear invention. Instead, it was an explosion of rapid evolutionary design – from loose abdominal glueing spots to fully enclosed sacs, these pouches independently evolved into the fully enclosed and protective pouches of today.

Learn more here: https://projectseahorse.org/resource/male-pregnancy-in-seahorses-and-pipefishes-family-syngnathidae-rapid-diversification-of-paternal-brood-pouch-morphology-inferred-from-a-molecular-phylogeny/

08/07/2026

A new species of seahorse was named in honour of our director and co-founder, Prof. Amanda Vincent, for pioneering seahorse science and advancing marine conservation!

💬 Listen in as Amanda shares what this honour means to her, and how it’s inspired her to increase her efforts to protect seahorses and their habitats worldwide.

08/07/2026

Meet the Jayakar’s seahorse, or Hippocampus jayakari, known for its long, sharp, and dark-tipped spines!

Use these key identifying features to spot a Jayakar’s seahorse in the wild, then snap a photo and report your sighting to the project hosted on iNaturalist.org. Your photos can provide crucial data, helping our scientists fill research gaps to better protect seahorses and the seas.

🔗 Learn more about iSeahorse here: www.iseahorse.org

08/06/2026

✨ Meet 𝘏𝘪𝘱𝘱𝘰𝘤𝘢𝘮𝘱𝘶𝘴 𝘢𝘮𝘢𝘯𝘥𝘢𝘷𝘪𝘯𝘤𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘢𝘦! An international team of scientists has named a seahorse species from the Indian Ocean, 𝘏𝘪𝘱𝘱𝘰𝘤𝘢𝘮𝘱𝘶𝘴 𝘢𝘮𝘢𝘯𝘥𝘢𝘷𝘪𝘯𝘤𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘢𝘦, in honour of our director and co-founder, Prof. Amanda Vincent, for pioneering seahorse science and advancing marine conservation.

Initially found among bycatch at Tuticorin harbour in southern India, this magical species of seahorse grows to be about 16cm long with a short snout, an elevated crown formed by five spines, and further spines along its body and tail.

For over a decade, these seahorses were thought to be 𝘏𝘪𝘱𝘱𝘰𝘤𝘢𝘮𝘱𝘶𝘴 𝘩𝘪𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘪𝘹. But an international team of scientists took a closer look at their physical features, DNA, and museum specimens and found there to be three distinct species of spiny seahorses: 𝘏𝘪𝘱𝘱𝘰𝘤𝘢𝘮𝘱𝘶𝘴 𝘩𝘪𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘪𝘹, 𝘏𝘪𝘱𝘱𝘰𝘤𝘢𝘮𝘱𝘶𝘴 𝘫𝘢𝘺𝘢𝘬𝘢𝘳𝘪, and 𝘏𝘪𝘱𝘱𝘰𝘤𝘢𝘮𝘱𝘶𝘴 𝘢𝘮𝘢𝘯𝘥𝘢𝘷𝘪𝘯𝘤𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘢𝘦.

This distinction is more than just a new name. Accurate species identification is the first step toward understanding where seahorses live, how populations are changing, and how to protect them – a mission that remains at the heart of Project Seahorse’s work.

Learn more: https://projectseahorse.org/news-hippocampusamandavincentae/

08/06/2026

Seahorses are not the only marine species facing a hidden trade problem. Meet the pegasid fish – or “sea moth.”

This week’s spotlight study highlights how these unique creatures are increasingly caught as bycatch by industrial trawlers, who supply the Traditional Chinese Medicine market. Because they are slow, live in low densities, and form strict monogamous pairs, the sea moth population is highly vulnerable to overfishing. Without market monitoring and bycatch management, sea moths could face a devastating pattern.

Read the full study here: https://projectseahorse.org/resource/trade-in-pegasid-fishes-sea-moths-primarily-for-traditional-chinese-medicine/

08/05/2026

What keeps bottom trawling in operation despite its heavy costs?

This month, our PhD candidate and researcher, Yixuan Chen, is heading to China to find out.

In Dongshan, Fujian, Yixuan will interview fishers and buyers at local ports to map the supply chain and market demand for “unsorted landings”. This builds directly on her previous research, where she mapped the species in these catches, identified life stages, and analyzed what is lost when juvenile fish are removed before they can mature and reproduce.

During her fieldwork, Yixuan will also collect data across multiple coastal cities to explore whether changes to government financial support to encourage sustainable fishing have influenced bottom trawl fisheries. We believe that Yixuan’s findings will offer valuable insights that will help guide research and management priorities for this fishery in China.

Learn more: https://projectseahorse.org/expanding-our-understanding-of-bottom-trawl-fisheries-in-china

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