Watch now! Saving seahorses to save the seas with Prof. Amanda Vincent and Project Seahorse
As Project Seahorse marks 30 years of advancing marine conservation, we are looking back at the journey that began with our co-founder and director, Prof. Amanda Vincent, and the magical seahorses. That journey has since grown into a global marine conservation effort grounded in science and action, with seahorses still at the heart of our mission.
Amanda is a true pioneer in seahorse research and conservation. She was the first person to study seahorses underwater and the first to uncover the massive global trade of these species.
But why seahorses? Amanda realized that saving seahorses meant saving the ocean. The threats that seahorses face, such as unsustainable fishing, habitat destruction and illegal wildlife trade, also affect many other marine species.
Over the past three decades, Prof. Vincent’s and Project Seahorse’s work has delivered measurable impact:
- We helped advance seahorse conservation and expertise. We have published more than 220 scientific papers on seahorses, covering biology, fisheries management, wildlife trade, conservation and policy.
- We generated 35 no-take marine protected areas in the central Philippines to help seahorses and countless other species recover.
- With seahorses as our flagship species, we have piloted transformations in the regulation of marine fish exports globally.
- We are also confronting the greatest pressures facing seahorses today by advancing evidence and knowledge on bottom trawling.
- Amanda’s many achievements in her field led her to become the first marine biologist to win the Indianapolis Prize, the leading award for animal conservation, in 2021.
- More recently, in August 2025, Project Seahorse received the American Fisheries Society’s President’s Fisheries Conservation Award, recognizing our global efforts to reconcile fisheries and conservation.
Created by the Indianapolis Prize team in support of Amanda’s nomination for the award, the video offers a glimpse into her journey and lifelong commitment to seahorse and marine conservation.
Join us in advancing the next 30 years of seahorse and marine conservation: https://projectseahorse.org/take-action/