Great Seahorses

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• It's possible that the big seahorse is being forced to migrate arduously towards Odisha by intensive fishing off the coast of Coromandel.
• Although fishing pressure off the coast of Odisha is lower, the Seahorse may not find its new home there due to a lack of suitable habitat.

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Off the coast of Odisha in the Bay of Bengal, fishing is less active. Nevertheless, a study published in the most recent issue of the Journal of Endangered Taxa suggests that the shallow coastal ecology of the eastern Indian State may not be the new home for the fish with a horse-like head.

• The study was based on a specimen of a young great seahorse, or Hippocampus Kelloggi, which was procured from the Ariyapalli fish landing centre in the Ganjam region of Odisha and caught in a ring net.
• For better preservation and management of the remaining seahorse populations, it asks for improved monitoring of India's coastal ecosystems on the country's east coast.

About Seahorses

• Seahorse is a type of fish with a horse-like head.
• There have been reports of 46 different seahorse species.
• The fish family known as the "Syngnathidae," which also includes pipefish and seadragons, includes seahorses.
• Nine of the 12 species found in the Indo-Pacific are found in the Coastal Ecosystems of India.
• These seahorse populations are spread throughout varied environments such as seagrass, mangroves, macroalgal beds, and coral reefs.
• Because the males carry and give birth to the young, seahorses are unusual in this regard.
• The female seahorse transfers her eggs to the male's belly after mating, where they are fertilised and grow until they are ready to be born. Depending on the species, the male can carry hundreds of eggs at once.
• Another characteristic of seahorses that helps them evade predators is their capacity to change colour and blend in with their surroundings.
• They consume plankton and tiny crustaceans by sucking them up with their snouts.
• They are found in protected environments such as coral reefs, mangroves, estuaries, and seagrass beds.
• Across the planet, shallow tropical and temperate salt water between 45°S and 45°N is where seahorses are most commonly found.
• With the exception of Lakshadweep and the Andaman & Nicobar Islands, all these nine species are found along the shores of eight States from Gujrat to Odisha and five Union Territories.
• one of the eight species classified as "vulnerable" is the population of the big seahorse.
• According to the report, the decline is brought on by overfishing for traditional Chinese remedies and as decorative fish, as well as general harmful fishing and bycatch in fisheries.

The Population of Seahorses is Vulnerable

• Among the eight species classed as "vulnerable" is the population of the big seahorse.
• It is brought on by the overfishing of seahorses for their use as ornamental fish and traditional Chinese medicines, together with general destructive fishing and bycatch in the fishing industry.

Cons of Seahorse Migration

• Off the coast of Odisha in the Bay of Bengal, fishing is less active. Yet, the seahorse's new home may not be the Eastern Indian State's shallow coastal ecology.
• Despite the 2001 prohibition on seahorse harvesting and selling in India, the seahorse population is under a lot of stress since it depends heavily on local environments to retain its vast and long-life cycle features.
• The great seahorse does not migrate in large numbers because, with the exception of the Chilika region, the Odisha coast lacks coral reefs or seagrass meadows that the species can call home.

Way Forward

• Although considerable progress against the seahorse population decline, significant actions and initiatives are still required to safeguard seahorses.

Marine protected areas, fishery management, targeted aquaculture projects, trade legislation, improved governance (in particular), and consumer involvement could all be used to safeguard seahorses and other syngnathid family members.

Read Also: Marine Protected Areas