Tuyen Le-Tran
The seahorse belongs to the genus Hippocampus, order Syngnathiformes. There are about 50 species in the world. The estimated global trade of dried seahorses was over 20 million individuals. Vietnam has been significantly involved in the export of seahorses for a considerable period. Vietnam ranks among the top five global exporters of seahorses, along with India, Indonesia, Mexico, and Thailand. In Vietnam, catch and trade seahorse research is concentrated in the central and southern regions, recording Hippocampus histrix, H. kelloggi, H. kuda, H. spinosissimus, H. trimaculatus, and H. mohnikei. Due to identification by morphology, some seahorses are misidentified or cannot be identified to the species level. Besides that, the analyses of catches in 2014 estimated numbers that were an entire order of magnitude larger than those reported in earlier studies. This significant increase is partly because some trawlers had started to explicitly target seahorses. Moreover, many areas remain unexplored, such as Con Dao, which is the 2,203rd Ramsar site in the world. This study will assess the catch and trade volume of seahorses in Con Dao and identify seahorses based on both morphology and molecular methods.
Ben Dam Seaport, Con Dao Archipelago, Vietnam. ©Tuyen Le-Tran.
This survey is conducted to assess the feasibility of the catch and trade of seahorses along Con Dao, Vietnam, and propose management solutions for fisheries management. Seahorses are a high economic value species, found in the reef along the coast of Vietnam. Due to the great demand and high prices, seahorse fishing has been on the rise, causing a rapid decline in the natural stock in Vietnam. Data on the catch and trade of seahorses along the coast of Vietnam have been collected before; however, there is no former information on the catching status of seahorses reported in Con Dao. The surveys will be conducted to determine the catching and trading status of seahorses. The results of this survey will provide basic information for proposing strategies for the protection and management of the natural resource of seahorses in Con Dao.
The overall aim of this survey is to investigate the catching and trading status of seahorses in Vietnam and provide baseline data for fisheries management and conservation of this species in Con Dao and Vietnam.
The above aim can be achieved by the following objectives:
1. To determine seahorse species composition in Con Dao.
2. To estimate the yield and the catching season of seahorses in this area.
3. To determine the main market for consumption.
4. To provide molecular characters to identify seahorses in Con Dao.
5. To propose primary management solutions for the sustainable use of the natural stock of seahorses in Vietnam.