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Seahorse the canary of world's oceans
By ROBYN STUBBS, 24 HOURS
A local researcher is making big waves in marine conservation across the globe.
Recently named Canadian Woman of the Earth by botanical cosmetics company Yves Rochers, Amanda Vincent has poured her heart into researching a small but lovable sea creature: The seahorse.
Seahorses are a "quirky" species with a kind of universal mythical appeal, but they are also a flagship species that calls attention to "a whole mass of marine conservation issues," says Vincent, director of Project Seahorse and Canadian research chair in marine conservation at UBC.
The first researcher to study seahorses in their natural habitats of sea-grass beds, coral reefs, mangroves and estuaries, Vincent discovered huge trade opportunities that today threatens seahorses and their closest relative, the pipefish, all over the world.
Seahorses are a popular item for traditional Chinese medicine, used to cure ailments such as lethargy, impotence, asthma and general pain.
Many are also destined to become aquarium features in North America, Europe, Japan and Taiwan.
So far, Vincent's research team has made a huge impact on seahorse populations and other fisheries: The international team has set up 28 locally managed 'no fishing' zones in the Phillipines, helped Chinese herbalists to use seahorses in a more sustainable way when developing traditional medicines, and establishing the first-ever global trade regulations to ensure exports for a handful of species are sustainable.
The team also works personally with fishermen, from small-scale fishers to large shrimp trollers that routinely catch seahorses and other marine animals in incidental bycatch.
"What worries me most is that we as a global citizenry need to grasp that the seas are limited and that fish populations are collapsing," she says, recalling a conversation with a Phillipino fisherman ekeing out a meagre living on the sea.
"'Conservation is personal discipline,' he told me. We can respond to that and choose our seafood wisely - the single biggest thing people can do is refuse to eat imported shrimp because it either comes from terrible fisheries with 95 per cent unwanted bycatch, or from aquacultures (such as trollers) that have eliminated one quarter of the world's mangroves," she explains.
"We're not beyond redemption, but my goodness, we've got to get on board."
DEEP BLUE FACTS
- The seahorse and its close relative, the pipefish, are the only species in which males become pregnant.
- Most seahorse pregnancies last about two to three weeks. Seahorses are also a monogamous species.
- Seahorses have mobile eyes to watch for predators and prey without moving its body. It sucks up prey with its long snout and uses its tail to curl around vegetation to prevent being swept away by currents.
SOURCE
vancouver.24hrs.ca/News/200...-sun.html
By ROBYN STUBBS, 24 HOURS
A local researcher is making big waves in marine conservation across the globe.
Recently named Canadian Woman of the Earth by botanical cosmetics company Yves Rochers, Amanda Vincent has poured her heart into researching a small but lovable sea creature: The seahorse.
Seahorses are a "quirky" species with a kind of universal mythical appeal, but they are also a flagship species that calls attention to "a whole mass of marine conservation issues," says Vincent, director of Project Seahorse and Canadian research chair in marine conservation at UBC.
The first researcher to study seahorses in their natural habitats of sea-grass beds, coral reefs, mangroves and estuaries, Vincent discovered huge trade opportunities that today threatens seahorses and their closest relative, the pipefish, all over the world.
Seahorses are a popular item for traditional Chinese medicine, used to cure ailments such as lethargy, impotence, asthma and general pain.
Many are also destined to become aquarium features in North America, Europe, Japan and Taiwan.
So far, Vincent's research team has made a huge impact on seahorse populations and other fisheries: The international team has set up 28 locally managed 'no fishing' zones in the Phillipines, helped Chinese herbalists to use seahorses in a more sustainable way when developing traditional medicines, and establishing the first-ever global trade regulations to ensure exports for a handful of species are sustainable.
The team also works personally with fishermen, from small-scale fishers to large shrimp trollers that routinely catch seahorses and other marine animals in incidental bycatch.
"What worries me most is that we as a global citizenry need to grasp that the seas are limited and that fish populations are collapsing," she says, recalling a conversation with a Phillipino fisherman ekeing out a meagre living on the sea.
"'Conservation is personal discipline,' he told me. We can respond to that and choose our seafood wisely - the single biggest thing people can do is refuse to eat imported shrimp because it either comes from terrible fisheries with 95 per cent unwanted bycatch, or from aquacultures (such as trollers) that have eliminated one quarter of the world's mangroves," she explains.
"We're not beyond redemption, but my goodness, we've got to get on board."
DEEP BLUE FACTS
- The seahorse and its close relative, the pipefish, are the only species in which males become pregnant.
- Most seahorse pregnancies last about two to three weeks. Seahorses are also a monogamous species.
- Seahorses have mobile eyes to watch for predators and prey without moving its body. It sucks up prey with its long snout and uses its tail to curl around vegetation to prevent being swept away by currents.
SOURCE
vancouver.24hrs.ca/News/200...-sun.html
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