FEATURE ARTICLE

Are There Seahorses
in Chesapeake Bay?

Hippocampus erectus, the lined seahorse, is found from Cape Cod to Canada and from Argentina and into the Gulf of Mexico. H. erectus is a large species of seahorse, growing up to 5 inches long and is easily distinguished from other species of seahorse by a pattern of dark lines along the body.

Creature Features

Like other seahorses, the lined seahorse has a prehensile tail used for grasping grasses, coral and other substrate to anchor itself while it searches for food with chameleon-like eyes that moves individually like turrets. Additionally, the male seahorse is equipped with a pouch on the ventral side used for carrying the two to six hundred babies that may occur in each brood. Another unique feature of seahorses is their method of capturing food. Seahorses use a technique similar to other fish like the oyster toadfish and tropical lionfish. They rapidly open their elongated snout that creates a void that is rapidly filled by water and the unsuspecting prey. Debris in the water and other unwanted material is expelled through the gills into the environment and the food is consumed. Upon a recent trip to the National Aquarium in Baltimore it was noted that this head movement during the predation process generates a snapping sound that can be heard through the glass.

Conservation Efforts in Chesapeake Bay

Picture reference for Angie Lawrence (NAIB), U.S. Air Force Staff Sgt. Brendan Kavanaugh

The National Aquarium in Baltimore (NAIB) and the staff at Langley Air Force Base have partnered over the last 5 years to assist in the restoration of eelgrass vital to the ecology of the lined seahorse population in Chesapeake Bay. The restoration project is taking place in the Back River and has benefited boating groups at the marine as well as the ecology of the river. Since the NAIB conservation team needed native grasses for planting and the local marina wanted to reduce their grasses for boat travel, a mutually beneficial partnership was formed. The restoration of acres of eelgrass could prove to have a dramatic impact in the future if the grass is able to withstand the forces of Mother Nature and pollution. For more information go to, http://www.aqua.org/seahorses_sh_restoration.html.

Seahorses worldwide face much adversity from a few sources and poor public awareness. In addition to continuous habitat destruction and degradation, at least 20 of the known 32 species of seahorse are threatened by trade of both live seahorses for aquariums and dried seahorses, sold as curios and as treatments in traditional Chinese medicine. The trade volume of dried seahorse in 2002 is believed to be at least 70 tons (equivalent to about 24.5 million individuals).

References

University of Michigan, museum of zoology
http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/accounts/hippocampus/h._erectus.html

National Aquarium in Baltimore
(last chance to see seahorses is January 4, 2004, then they're off to Italy)
www.aqua.org

Seahorse photos- worth a look
gallery.seahorse.org/

NAIB Divers Plant for Restoration
http://www2.acc.af.mil/accnews/oct01/01352.html

World Wildlife Fund- seahorses
www.worldwildlife.org/oceans/oceanssection.cfm?sectionid=108&newspaperid=19&contentid=978

http://www.mdsg.umd.edu/Extension/msgsnn/msgsnn06_1/seahorse.html