There's almost nothing more magical than a seahorse, and 90 of these cute little creatures have just been let loose in the waters around Sydney's Bare Island thanks to a major conservation project. This particular seahorse conservation project has been brought to life by the Sydney Institute of Marine Science’s (SIMS) in collaboration with the traditional owners of the land and waters of Gamay (Botany Bay), the Tharawal and Eora peoples, supported by a $359,000 grant from the Commonwealth Government's Saving Native Species program. It comes a couple of weeks after the group released seahorses into the waters at Balmoral.
The release of the herd of teeny aquatic creatures aims to conserve the endangered White’s seahorses (Hippocampus whitei), a species endemic to the ocean around Australia – one of only four species of seahorses found in NSW waters. The team from Sydney Sea Life Aquarium released 100 Whites seahorses into the Clontarf tidal pool back in December, so these two new releases are the next major step in the effort to boost the population of seahorses living in NSW.
The herd of "super seahorses" (named for their robust size and good health) were carefully bred and raised at SIMS’s aquarium over the past four months, and have been released into the ocean with the aim of boosting the natural population of White’s Seahorses, which has been in drastic decline over the past few decades.
The conservation project has been carried out in partnership with the traditional owners of the land (the Gamay Rangers), and has involved a super-valuable exchange of scientific research and traditional practices. While the December release involved a slightly larger herd, this week’s seahorse release was the first to be informed by logistical planning and site selection by the area's traditional owners.
To facilitate more collaboration between the Indigenous community, SIMS has launched an Indigenous Youth Ranger Development Program to support members from the Metropolitan Local Aboriginal Land Council. The Sydney Seahorse Project also involves restoring natural seagrass and coral habitats, installing artificial habitats known as “seahorse hotels”, and carrying out a captive breeding program to support healthy population growth. Last year, the project saw the release of 384 super seahorses into Chowder Bay, and a nine-month post-release SCUBA survey recorded 50 tagged seahorses in 90 minutes, with more than 20 pregnant males (yep – seahorses are pretty darn magical!).
So it sounds like coming up close to an magical little seahorse could be very possible – just be careful not to touch them if you do see them out in the big blue. You can learn more about the Sydney Seahorse Project over here.
Want to be the first to know about what's on in Sydney? Sign up for our free Time Out Sydney newsletter, delivered direct to your inbox.