Close to five million smuggled seahorses worth an estimated $29 million (Canadian) were seized by authorities over a ten-year span, according to a new study that warns that current data is “just the tip of the iceberg” for the crisis.

Published this week in Conservation Biology, the study – led by researchers at the University of British Columbia – analysed online seizure records from 2010 to 2021 to find smuggling incidents in 62 countries, with dried seahorses – which are widely used in traditional medicines – most commonly intercepted at airports in passenger baggage.

But the nearly 300 seizures analysed for the study, notes the paper’s first author, Dr Sarah Foster, a research associate at University of British Columbia’s Project Seahorse, were based only on online records and voluntary disclosures, including government notices and news stories. 

“It means what we’re seeing is just the tip of the iceberg,” she said.

Seahorses were often seized alongside other illegally traded products such as elephant ivory and pangolin scales, showing marine life is smuggled ‘just like terrestrial wildlife in global networks.’

The team also uncovered emerging trade routes for dried seahorses involving Europe and Latin America, in addition to major destinations like China and Hong Kong.

“Trade routes appear to be diversifying, and so must enforcement efforts,” said co-author Syd Ascione, a research biologist at Project Seahorse.

There are currently legal means for trading seahorses, provided permits are held to certify that trade does not harm wild populations under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) – an agreement among 184 countries including Canada and the European Union. However, barriers such as proving the trade is sustainable has made attaining permits difficult, moving the trade underground.

The paper’s researchers noted that data about seizures is scarce, particularly for marine life, and enforcement efforts often focus on larger, more charismatic animals like elephants or tigers.

“All countries must step up with strong deterrents – good detective work, determined enforcement, and meaningful penalties – to shut down the illegal seahorse trade,” said senior author Dr Teale Phelps Bondaroff, director of research at OceanAsia.

“At the same time, we must continue using innovative research and investigation methods to uncover hidden networks and outpace traffickers.”

The study found that most seizures of seahorses occurred in transit or destination countries, highlighting the potential efficacy of enforcement efforts at those points.

Airports were the most common places where seahorses were seized, with passenger baggage accounting for the highest number of cases. However, the largest seizures by volume were found in sea cargo, highlighting the need for countries to keep a close eye on illegal wildlife moving by sea.

Customs and other enforcement agencies made the vast majority of reported seizures, but only 7% of these had information on legal penalties, leaving it unclear as to how often seizures lead to punishment. 

Seahorses are used in traditional medicine and can be a valuable income source for fishers. Researchers on this paper estimate that the average value per seahorse was around $7 (Canadian), making for a total of $29 million over the ten year period.

“We need to make sustainable, legal trade viable enough that people obey the laws, and ensure that we also have sufficient deterrents to stop illegal activity,” said Dr Foster.

“Seahorses are a symbol of ocean biodiversity and protecting them helps everyone involved. We’ve done work with traditional medicine traders in Hong Kong, and when we ask them, ‘How long do you want seahorses around?’, they say ‘forever, they’re really important,’ and we agree.”

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