Keeping the sea horse from falling victim to its own charismaTucked away amid glue guns and stencils in a Michaels crafts shop are racks of 99-cent dead sea horses. Just half an inch long, the desiccated animals are labeled as Pygmy sea horses, a distinctive species. Actually, they appear to be babies. "I want to decorate my bathroom in a sea theme," enthuses a young guy at one of the national chain's warehouse-size stores in Vienna, Va. "I'll hang a fishing net on the wall and throw them in with shells."
Sea horses may not remain cheap baubles in the future. At least that's the intent of a recent decision to protect sea horses by the United Nations Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species. The first marine fish of commercial value to be listed, sea horses are threatened by a lucrative, growing global trade. More than 25 million animals a year are caught and dried for use in traditional Chinese medicine and as decorative curios or sold live for aquariums.
Many exploited populations plunged 15 percent to 50 percent from 1990 to 1995 and continue to decline, says Amanda Vincent, the world's leading expert on sea horses and director of Project Seahorse, which did the studies that spurred the CITES move. In the Philippines--the biggest exporter, followed by Thailand and India--some local populations have dwindled much further. "People want to make sure there are always sea horses," says Vincent. "They're so intriguing and threatened that we can engage the public in a way that'd be difficult for a less sexy fish."
Horse trading. The decision requires all sea-horse-exporting countries among the 160 CITES signatories to measure their sea horse populations and catch, then set export quotas to protect threatened species. CITES may also require minimum size limits and encourage countries to set up marine sanctuaries. "As time goes by, we do expect sea horse availability to drop," says John Field, fisheries specialist with the United States Fish and Wildlife Service, which has responsibility for implementing the treaty in the United States.
Is it any wonder that these fairy-tale fishes, crowned with a coronet as unique as a thumbprint and encased in an armored coat, are so coveted? They have the head of a horse, the grasping tail of a monkey, and the independently roving eyes of a chameleon--along with its ability to blend into the background. They can change hue dramatically--even matching the screaming fluorescent orange of a biologist's flagging tape--grow bumps to disappear magically into corals, and sprout dermal tags and tendrils for camouflage among the mangrove roots and sea grass blades they call home.
Local fishers scoop them up in dip nets and by hand, or as by-catch, while trawling for shrimp. Sold as aquarium pets, they fetch up to $50 in the United States. Alas, the delicate creatures fare poorly in captivity. They are disease-prone and eat only live food such as tiny crustaceans, and sea horse first aid is in its infancy. Others are dried and made into trinkets such as key chains and yo-yos for sale in beachfront curio shops or are sold individually at crafts stores like Michaels. (Michaels did not respond to requests for comment on its sea horse sales.)
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