Revalidation of short-snouted seahorses

The Aquarium-Muséum is supporting the short-snouted seahorse rescue programme with a fundraising campaign.

For several winters now, walkers have occasionally found short-snouted seahorses (Hippocampus hippocampus) washed up on Dutch beaches, particularly after storms. Such a find may seem surprising, but two species of seahorse can be found in Europe, and the Netherlands is at the northern limit of the short-snouted seahorse's range. Poor swimmers, they cling to algae and colonies of bryozoans, which are torn off during storms, causing seahorses to wash up on beaches.

When these animals are alive, they can be taken to the centre océanographique Ecomare on the island of Texel and to zoo de Rotterdam. They are cared for by the teams for a period of rehabilitation and in spring they are released near the Oosterschelde. The choice of location is based on knowledge of the species' natural habitat.

The two aquariums are also working to raise awareness among walkers, so that they take a plastic bag with them when they go for a walk. This way, if they come across a stranded seahorse, they can transport it with a little water to one of the two rehabilitation centres.

Today, the Ecomare and Rotterdam Zoo teams are studying a new location to determine whether seahorses could be released there too: an oyster bed in a nature reserve in the North Sea. To do this, they need to set up a programme to study and monitor the site, using divers and underwater cameras.

To support this programme, the Aquarium-Muséum has decided to set up a fund-raising campaign to contribute to the purchase of equipment for the two centres. This equipment will be used to study the site and monitor the progress of the seahorses once they have been returned to their natural environment.

Would you like to support us in this initiative?

It couldn't be easier! The team has set up an urn at the Aquarium to collect your donations. Help us raise €1,500.