160 specimens of Hippocampus guttulatus, born at the Genoa aquarium, were released yesterday morning in the Mar Piccolo of Taranto. The aim is to repopulate the Mar Piccolo with seahorses, as it was a few years ago
Seahorses return to populate the sea of Taranto. They were released a few days ago in Tue Small of Taranto approximately 160 juvenile specimens (6/7 months of age) of seahorse of the species Hippocampus guttulatus (long-snouted seahorse) born and bred at the Aquarium of Genoa, as part of the conservation project which involves the Aquarium itself, the Municipality of Taranto, the University of Bari and Cnr-Ias of Palermo.
The seahorses were transported by van from Genoa in special tanks, then once they arrived in Taranto, after an appropriate preparation phase to acclimatise them to the new marine environment, they were released into the body of water in front of the former Idroscalo pier “Bologna” of the Volunteer Air Force School of Taranto, in one of the three new micro reserves recently created within the Mar Piccolo Regional Park (LR n.30/2020) specifically for the protection of seahorses.
In the Mar Piccolo three reserves with artificial structures to welcome young seahorses
Within the three reserves, appropriately delimited and monitored, artificial structures (seahorse hotels) have been installed to provide footholds and shelter for the seahorses and to encourage their predation activities.
The Mar Piccolo of Taranto, which until recently hosted one of the largest populations of Hippocampus guttulatus in the Mediterranean Sea, has witnessed a very strong decline in the population of this species since 2016 with a decrease in overall density of around 90%.
Why is the seahorse an endangered species? The virtuous example of the municipality of Taranto together with the Genoa aquarium and CNR
In addition to uncontrollable natural phenomena, such as global warming and heat waves, the collapse of seahorse populations may have been caused by bycatch from artisanal fisheries, habitat fragmentation and the illegal trade of Mediterranean marine organisms – seahorses , sea cucumbers – for use in traditional Chinese medicine.
The combination of these factors represents a fearful threat to the conservation of Mediterranean seahorse populations and, without appropriate interventions and initiatives, could lead seahorses to extinction.
Therefore, last June, pairs of adult specimens of Hippocampus guttulatus were taken and transported by the staff of the Aquarium of Genoa to the Genoese facility where, in a system of tanks specially designed and dedicated exclusively to breeding pairs, the project for the reproduction of the species in a controlled environment was started.
The staff of biologists and veterinarians at the Aquarium in Genoa in collaboration with the CNR conducted ethological studies on the species and developed a very effective reproduction protocol which allowed a good percentage of survival of the young in the first delicate months of life.
Furthermore, to inform the public and raise awareness of the problem of conservation of this species, the Genoa Aquarium has dedicated an exhibition room to the project.
All specimens released today have been carefully photographed on both sides of the head to allow subsequent identification of individuals at sea via photo identification (PhotoID).
Furthermore, before the release, following the guidelines proposed by IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature) for the “Reinforcement/Supplementation” initiatives of populations of threatened species, an accurate monitoring of seahorse populations present in micro-reserves. To evaluate the effectiveness and impact of the repopulation initiative, monitoring and photo-identification activities will be carried out for approximately 12 months starting from the release date.
This, combined with more effective controls on artisanal fishing and illegal wildlife trade, could prove crucial to the future status of Mediterranean seahorses.
