White’s seahorses

• Australia’s ‘seahorse hotels’ are set up aimed to save endangered species.
• Made from biodegradable metal, the eight new hotels installed will provide much needed homes for the endangered seahorses.
• Designed to mimic discarded crab traps, a common home for seahorses, the hotels are installed at least a month before the release, to allow the accumulation of algae, sponges and other marine fouling.
• Over the years, the metal breaks down and disappears, leaving behind a semi-natural reef, benefiting not only the seahorses but the broader ecosystem of the harbour.
• The Sydney Seahorse Project is a collaboration between the Sydney Institute of Marine Science, the University of Technology Sydney and the New South Wales (NSW) Department of Primary Industries, which focuses on the conservation of the species.

ABOUT WHITE’S SEAHORSES

• White’s Seahorses are endemic to the waters surrounding Australia’s east coast and were classified as ‘endangered’ on the IUCN Red List in 2017 due to loss of habitat.
• The species was named after John White, Surgeon General to the First Fleet.
• Seahorses are often considered a flagship species for conservation.