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World Renowned Seahorse Expert
To Begin Saba Research It was summer of 1999 when divemaster Kurt Trennert’s keen eye spotted the first seahorse in many years in Ladder Bay. Since then, Saba has been host to a veritable seahorse bloom in many of her shallow reefs. In the summer of 2000, Dr. Heather Hall, a well-known seahorse expert, spent two days diving with Sea Saba. Her book Seahorses, An Identification guide to the world’s species and their conservation* is our main source of information about this unique creature. The shy seahorse has been a source of intrigue for centuries. Although it is actually a fish belonging the genus hippocampus, even its name betrays man’s ancient fascination with the seahorse. Greek poets wrote of sea gods riding this mythical creature, half horse and half fish. Seahorses are considered an incredible “find” by divers around the globe. They reside in temperate oceans from the southern tip of New Zealand to the northern waters of Nova Scotia. Their preferred habitat is in coastal areas where sea or eelgrass or soft bottom areas provide an abundant source of small crustaceans, their favorite food.
(© click on "thumbnails" for excellent seahorse photos shot in our waters)
Unfortunately, seahorse existence is threatened by coastal development and destruction of habitat. In some areas of the world, they are harvested as curios and for Traditional Chinese Medicine. But in Saba, shelter is assured.
So why is the diving community excited about five to seven resident seahorses? Not only are they a great tourist attraction to find and photograph, seahorses are the flagship species for endangered habitats signaling the healthiness of the ecosystem: the coral reef, mangroves and supporting seabed. Finding seahorses—and in this case, many seahorses--is a sign of reef prosperity. So why are there suddenly more seahorse sightings in Saba? We can hypothesize that the coastal areas have recovered since a local company ceased mining, processing and exporting sand. This operation caused heavy silting and increased erosion. But over the same period, Saba experienced more hurricanes that affected the same coastal area. This question and others will be addressed by Dr. Hall’s visit to Saba in spring 2001. For
now, check out the McGill
University website
(Project
Seahorse) to learn more about seahorses and the project’s progress in
protecting this unique fish. *Seahorses, an identification guide to the world’s species and their conservation was co-written by Sara A. Lourie, Amanda CJ Vincent and Heather J. Hall. The comprehensive guide covers the biology of the animal but also the conservation concerns, an identification guide and of course, plenty of great photos: ISBN 0-9534693-0-1. Dr. Heather Hall is slated for a late May 2001 visit to Saba when she will begin her research on Saba seahorses, conduct nighttime presentations and be available to our guests for questions both on the dive boat and at the meetings. This
page last updated 06/03/04
from Sea Saba's Windwardside office |
The
creature’s ornate body style is not without purpose.
