Publications & Contributions

A comprehensive database of Project Seahorse outputs

18 Results for: Conservation

Using biogeography to help set priorities in marine conservation

Lourie, S.A. & A.C.J. Vincent

Biogeographic information has great potential to enhance systematic conservation planning, although it has yet to be routinely incorporated in marine situations. Fundamental differences between marine and terrestrial environments (physical, biological, and sociopolitical) mean that biogeographic data are harder to obtain for marine systems, biogeographic boundaries more difficult to define, and the outcomes of similar conservation …

Assessing East African trade in seahorse species as a basis for conservation under international controls

McPherson, J.M. & A.C.J. Vincent

1. Seahorses (Hippocampus spp.), many of which are listed as Vulnerable or Endangered on the IUCN Red List, are traded worldwide as souvenirs, aquarium fish and, primarily, for use in traditional medicines. Given concern over the sustainability of this trade, the genus was added to Appendix II of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered …

Underwater visual census for seahorse population assessments.

Curtis, J., Moreau, M., Marsden, D., Bell, E., Martin-Smith, K., Samoilys, M. & A.C.J. Vincent

1. Introduction 1.1. Why Is It Important To Assess Populations of Seahorses? Apart from their intrinsic worth, these fishes are unusual and valuable for a number of reasons including their unusual biology, economic value, medicinal properties and conservation importance. • Reproductive Behaviour: Seahorses (genus Hippocampus) exhibit the most highly specialized paternal care of any animal: …

The threatened status of marine fishes

Hall, H.J. & A.C.J Vincent

Marine fishes have been low on the conservation agenda, partly because they are usually regarded as food rather than wildlife. The 1994 IUCN Red List of Threatened Animals’ included less than 20 of at least 15 000 species of marine fish (Fig. 1). The results of a recent international workshop on the ‘Threatened status of …

Update on seahorses

Vincent, A.C.J.

Despite Thierry Schmidt’s successes and his opinion that keeping seahorses presents no special difficulties, I am deluged by letters from home aquarists, public aquarists, and aquaculturists reporting the difficulties of seahorse keeping. It is irresponsible to encourage seahorse breeding without warning of the difficulties and the high rate of failure. An editorial note commented that …

Diversity in the marine environment

Clark, A. & A.C.J Vincent

The paucity of our knowledge of marine organisms and ecosystems is becoming an ever more acute problem as we struggle to ensure the health of marine environments, which now face a formidable array of problems. A recent meeting on the causes and consequences of marine biodiversity (30 August-2 September 1994, York University, UK) went some …

Exploitation of Seahorses and Pipefishes

Vincent, A.C.J.

Any perception of seahorses and pipefishes as cute but rather irrelevant fishes is about to change. These fishes are now the targets of a large international trade, the scale of which is probably unsustainable. They are also victims of wholesale destruction of their offshore habitats. Seahorses and pipefishes (syngnathids) are sold primarily for use as …