Sea horses threatened

1996/01/01 Elhuyar Zientzia Iturria: Elhuyar aldizkaria

• Ekologia

Each year 20 million marine horses are fished in Asia. Most of them, about 16 million, are used as a remedy for traditional medicine and the rest will be sold as souvenirs in markets like China, Taiwan or Hong Kong. Over the past 10 years, the market around marine horses has grown steadily and demand has been diversifying around the world. You will not be surprised, therefore, if we tell you that the sea horse is an endangered animal. That is the conclusion we have drawn from the reading of the final TRAFFIC report.

Mass fishing has not only threatened the number of specific species but also the species itself. The puppy is especially appreciated by the fishermen outside, as in this situation they are easier to see the animals that hide under water. Capture before reproduction therefore conditions the duration of the species.

According to a group of Oxford researchers, the total ban on marine horse fishing would allow the creation of illegal fishing nets, which is not considered an appropriate solution. Instead, it proposes the creation of selective fishing areas on the Asian coast. Two such spaces have already been created in the Philippines.