Seahorse: The threatened species

CEBU, Philippines - Considered as the ocean's jewel because of their  mythical features, seahorses are heavily harvested for souvenirs or medicinal purposes, like most fascinating marine creatures.

In the 1990s, you would see many seahorses in the seawaters off barangay of Handumon, Getafe, Bohol, there even used to be seahorse-watching activities there. But in 2010, only about 30 of these pygmy species were spotted in the said barangay's 50-hectare marine protected area. It's "alarming," said Angie Nellas, officer-in-charge of Project Seahorse Foundation (PSF). PSF is a non-government organization which studies and helps protect seahorses and their habitat all over Bohol and Cebu provinces.

"Sa una daghan seahorses makuha all over Bohol but opportunistic man ang mga tawo when they discovered the market," said Nellas. Before becoming a full-fledged NGO, PSF started as a research project on seahorses in 1996 through Canadian Dr. Amanda Vincent, and not long after it was lured in Handumon's seahorse-rich municipal waters.

Between the late '90s and in the early 2000, Nellas, a marine biologist, said they could still easily spot a seahorse within a few-meter radius of Handumon's MPA, but today, it would take them an hour to find one. Handumon was awarded in 2007 as the best MPA in the province owing to the fact that it featured unique marine creatures like seahorses and its proper management courtesy of the local government unit and the active involvement of local fishers and residents. However, two years after, after PSF left the area in the care of the local fishers' organization, like they also do after a study timeframe, dynamite fishing and massive seahorse gathering ensued.

Nellas said each seahorse is bought from P50 to P70 or a whooping P14,000 per kilo. She said this is the reason why in a span of two years, the hundreds or maybe thousands of seahorses in the seabed of Handumon are gone.

The study "Tracking the international trade of seahorses" by Melissa Evanson et al., tracked the trade routes of seahorses from the different Asian countries including the Philippines to other Asian and European nations.

From 2004 to 2005, the Philippines exported to Portugal, UK and USA different species of seahorses: H. hippocampus, H. barbouri, H. kudaand H. histrix totaling to 38,128 individuals. The country's overall export volumes, based on this study, however, suggested that the exportation dropped exponentially between 2006 and 2008, the second phase of the study. The drop was because of the ban on seahorse exportation being implemented in the country. From Convention on International Trade of Endangered Species (CITES) trade date, the country's export went from 245,000 to 365,000 to an estimated average of 19,000 individuals per year, until it nosedived to zero after the 2005 ban.

"However, the US supposedly imported over 300,000 dried, wild seahorses in 2005 which could be in conflict with the ban, or could have been trade of stockpiled seahorses, caught before the ban was enacted," the study said.

Nellas said the dried seahorses are used in traditional Chinese medicine. She said local fishermen dry the seahorses before selling them to the waiting buyers. These buyers then sell it to Binondo, where Chinese drug shops crush these to be mixed in their Chinese medicine. "It serves as a cooling effect sa tambal," she explained.

Among other Chinese medicines that use seahorses is the HymaBushen Tea Pills or "seahorse bushing wan", a Chinese medicine taken to aid kidney problems, heart ailments, indigestion, among others. There are other kinds of Chinese medicines that also use seahorses as their main ingredient, and these are openly sold in Chinatowns all over the country.

According to a research journal: "Demystifying the Mythical Seahorse" by Norah Saarman, an estimated 24.5 million or 70 tons of seahorses are sold annually all over the world to be used as Chinese medicine because of their "yang" quality. Saarman said light seahorses are sold at about USD3 per pair in China, based on a 2006 pricing. According to the "Tracking the international trade of seahorses" research, a good chunk of the seahorses from China were from the Philippines.

In Handumon, Nellas said the seahorses are hunted using lanterns or petromax, which these little creatures believe as sunshine (they live in the shallow waters where there's plenty of sunshine). And since the kind of seahorses that thrive in the waters of Bohol are in the shallow areas, and they are territorial beings and don't move around much, locating them is an easy job. Seahorses' gestation period may be three to four times a year, producing 15 to 30,000 eggs each time, but there's also a high mortality rate among young seahorses, which usually happens after they are dispersed by their parents to the current and left on their own. A devastated habitat could also be counted as one factor for this mortality rate, she said. Their lifespan is between five and 15 years, depending on the kind. But those who are lucky enough to become adults are threatened by massive lantern fishing, Nellas said.

The situation in Handumon is alarming, as she said the seahorses may become extinct if overfishing is not regulated right away.

In 2004, these species were added to Appendix II of the CITES for their protection. At least 167 countries, including the Philippines, agreed to control cross-boarder trading of seahorses. In 2005, the Philippines implemented a national ban on seahorse fishing and exportation, after declaring it a threatened species. Nellas said they had lobbied for Congress to ratify a bill regulating the extraction of these species, which would have been a better solution, but it was not made a priority, their efforts failed.

The seahorses are iconic creatures, with their horse-like head and the curvy tail, making them a perfect representation of what a healthy marine environment should look like. But more than their beauty and mythical features, Nellas said these animals are part of the food chain, there are other bigger fishes out their which feed on them. If they become extinct their predators will also suffer.

In Cebu, particularly in the Minantaw Marine Park, Lapu-Lapu City, at least five seahorses were sighted there. Nellas said seahorses thrive in any sea grass beds, mangrove plantations, and in any undisturbed habitat. If Minantaw will continue to be preserved, Nellas said it is very likely that those five pieces of seahorses will reproduce in no time.

Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) 7 director Andres Bojos admitted that although the ban on seahorses is still in effect, there are still reports of this illegal trade. He said the seizure of a few kilos of dried seahorses in Mactan Cebu International Airport a few months ago proved that the black market on these threatened species is still very much alive. He, however, appealed to the public and to the local government units to help BFAR implement the Wildlife Resources and Conservation and Protection Act, which protects the seahorses and other endangered and threatened animals in the country, to help put a stop to this trade.

"We are serious on our campaign against gathering of seahorses. But we can't do it on our own, the LGUs have to help us because they have the authority...If in terms of technicality and they want our help, we'll provide it, they just have to let us know," Bojos said.

The huge drop of the number of seahorses in the region, Nellas said, can still be helped by putting "powerful leaders" who involve their members and can be trusted that when they are on their own they can already protect their marine resources. Increasing population is also seen as one of the problems, she said massive education and jobs can address this.

"For these seahorses to survive we have to have a supportive people's organization and continuous education. Because we can't stay there forever to assist them.  Our realization nga bisa'g pilapa ka kadugay, if they don't think long-term, useless lang gihapon ang tanan," she said.

As to the government, Nellas said it should also make its own study, now that the seahorse population is dropping. "Grabe naka low ang pop. We have to ask why? Is it the level of destruction?  Why again? Black market is pushing these fishers to get that. So, maybe we should also try to create a law or something, management measure, to stop that. Or poverty? Daghan facets sa issue nga dapat i-address."

"We know seahorses are still gathered in some areas kay naa man sila'y buyer. If you take out the buyers, perhaps…" Nellas added. - /QSB (FREEMAN)