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Only one seahorse species, the Knysna Seahorse, Hippocampus capensis, is listed as “endangered” by IUCN (the World Conservation Union). Nineteen other seahorse species are listed as “vulnerable” – eleven are listed as “data deficient” meaning that information required to classify their status is missing.
The problem arises from overfishing: according to Project Seahorse, “total global consumption of seahorses was at least 25 million seahorses in 2001 (more than 70 metric tonnes).”
In November 2002 CITES (the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora) added the entire Hippocampus genus to Appendix II.
This appendix is for species whose wild populations are threatened, or might become
threatened, by international trade, and places restrictions and quotas on exports.
However, not all authorities agree on how threatened certain seahorse populations are, and some argue that Western conservation efforts perpetuate the problem rather than aiding it.
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