SEAHORSES AND TRADITIONAL CHINESE MEDICINE

The growing demand for Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) has put seahorses at risk for

extinction. South East Asia and West Africa are the biggest seahorse trading exports – 37 million

are caught in the wild every year. Seahorses are dried, sold, then mixed with herbs and boiled as

tea for curing certain ailments – although none have been supported by scientific evidence.

Additionally, fishing gear such as crab nets, trawl nets, and gill nets capture and kill seahorses by

accident. When fisherman throw these nets in the ocean, the nets catch everything in its path;

including coral reefs and seagrass where these seahorses live! Eleven species of seahorses has

dropped by thirty and fifty percent over the past fifteen years. Captive breeding is the process of

maintaining animals in controlled environments (zoos, wildlife reserves, conservation facilities)

and may be a solution to help the future of these species.

Visit projectseahorse.org to learn how you can help

Resources:

https://oceana.org/blog/millions-seahorses-wind-dead-black-market-senseless-reason

https://www.sciencetimes.com/articles/22543/20190610/seahorses-are-being-threatened-by-illeg

al-harvesting.htm

Video:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=16&v=0IKN92-tJN0