Thousands of threatened seahorses killed yearly as bycatch in Palk Bay: examine

A examine carried out by a Kerala-based scholar exhibits how seahorses are affected by business fishing in Palk Bay. Between August 2018 and July 2019 Shalu Kannan, a Ph.D. scholar at Kerala University of Fisheries and Ocean Studies (KUFOS) used to board between 10 and 15 mini-trawlers every month, searching for two threatened species of seahorses, Hippocampus kuda and H. trimaculatus, encountered as by-catch.
The examine exhibits that these two species of seahorses are weak to overfishing, and there may be an pressing must develop species-specific conservation tips and on-ground implementation.
The outcomes have been printed final month in Marine and Freshwater Research.

Latest from my lab led by @ShaluKannan08 discusses the demographics of #threatened #seahorse species from Bay of Bengal revealing excessive vulnerability to overexploitation whilst bycatchhttps://t.co/h8A5JrJLXR@CSIROPublishing @projectseahorse @IUCNSeahorse @CITES @AmandaVincent1 pic.twitter.com/XhMMbWdNq5
— Rajeev Raghavan (@LabRajeev) November 27, 2021
The noticed seahorse, H. kuda, and the three-spot seahorse, H. trimaculatus, are two extensively distributed species having a life span of two to 3 years. Though each species are listed underneath Schedule I of the Indian Wildlife Protection Act (WLPA), 1972, they’re closely exploited due to their excessive worth within the conventional Chinese medication markets and the aquarium commerce.
“Syngnathidae family (seahorse and pipefish) have the same protection given to tigers. There is a ban on all forms of their capture and trade from the country. But still, both species are currently listed as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List, and their population is decreasing worldwide,” says Shalu.
“We have currently done a country-wide survey to understand if there is awareness among fishers. The results which are soon to be published show that fishers from Tamil Nadu have the highest awareness about seahorses. Though they know that they are a protected species, the clandestine trade continues. We urgently need to raise awareness about pipefish in our country,” she provides.

”Using mathematical fashions primarily based on length-frequency of seahorse samples taken as bycatch, we estimated the mortality charges and exploitation ranges and located that each species are dealing with excessive fishing stress within the Palk Bay area. Such research have to be undertaken in different areas alongside the east and west coast of India to higher perceive the fishing stress of seahorses,” says Okay. Ranjeet, Associate Professor and Head, Department of Aquatic Environment Management, KUFOS who supervised the work in an e mail to indianexpress.com.
A paper printed final yr by a global group confirmed that between 4.98 and 13.64 million seahorses land as by-catch from India’s southeast coast yearly.
“Though they are listed in Appendix II of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), dried seahorses continue to be illegally exported from our country. Catching and marketing an animal listed in the Indian Wildlife Protection Act can invite both imprisonment and fine,” says Prof. Rajeev Raghavan, one of many authors from the Department of Fisheries Resource Management, KUFOS, Kochi.

“Restrictions of non-selective fishing gear such as trawl nets and small mesh-sized nets in the seashore habitats, coupled with habitat restoration are ways to restore the seahorse populations. The captive breeding and sea ranching of seahorses is yet another option, which is currently handicapped by the regulations in the collection. Regular monitoring of seahorse fisheries and trade and enhanced awareness among fishers are other options in management,” says Dr. A. Biju Kumar, Professor, and Head, Dept. of Aquatic Biology & Fisheries from the University of Kerala who was not concerned within the work.