Supporting information

Seahorse listing on CITES Appendix II

• All species of seahorse (Hippocampus spp) were listed on CITES Appendix II at CoP 12 (Santiago, Chile, November 2002).  Download proposal

Fisheries and trade

Trade survey data have been published for both pre- and post-CITES periods for a number of countries. Such surveys of seahorse biology, fisheries and trades, have long served as the backbone of global seahorse conservation work, providing reliable estimates of trade. Listed below are global syntheses of these data. Country and region specific reports can be found under country specific resources.

• Foster, S.J. (ed). 2023. Implementation of CITES Appendix II listing for seahorses in the context of export bans and suspensions. Fisheries Centre Research Report 31(3), 306pp. (See SC 74.Doc. 70.1 Annex II for a summary of the report).

• Foster, S.J., Justason, T., Magera, A.M. & A.C.J. Vincent. 2022. CITES makes a measurable difference to the trade in live marine fishes: The pioneering case of seahorses. Biological Conservation, 272, 109653

• Foster, S.J., Justason, T., Magera, A.M. & A.C.J. Vincent. 2021. Changes in the international trade in live seahorses (Hippocampus spp.) after their listing on CITES Appendix II. Fisheries Centre Research Reports 29(4) 115pp. (See SC 74.Doc. 70.1 Annex I for a summary of the report).

• Foster, S.J. , Kuo, T-C., Wan, A.K.Y. and A.C.J. Vincent. 2019. Global seahorse trade defies export bans under CITES action and national legislation. Marine Policy 103: 33-41.

• Kuo, T-C. and A.C.J. Vincent. 2018. Assessing the changes in international trade of marine fishes under CITES regulations – A case study of seahorses. Marine Policy 88:48–57.

• Lawson J.M., Foster, S.J. and A.C.J. Vincent. 2017. Low bycatch rates add up to big numbers for a genus of small fishes. Fisheries 42(1):19-33. 

• Vincent, A.C.J. and S.J. Foster. 2017. Setting precedent in export regulations for marine fishes with seahorses. Fisheries 42(1):40-43.

• Foster, S.J., Wiswedel, S. and A.C.J. Vincent. 2016.  Opportunities and challenges for analysis of wildlife trade using CITES data - seahorses as a case study. Aquatic Conservation: Marine and Freshwater Ecosystems 26(1):154-172.   

• Lawson, J.M., S.J. Foster, A.C.O. Lim, V.C. Chong and A.C.J. Vincent. 2015. Novel life-history data for threatened seahorses provide insight into fishery effects. Journal of Fish Biology 86(1): 1-15.

• Vincent, A.C.J., Giles, B.G., Czembor, C.A., and S.J. Foster. (eds). 2011. Trade in seahorses and other syngnathids in countries outside Asia (1998-2001). Fisheries Centre Research Reports 19(1). Fisheries Centre, The University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Camada. 181 pp [ISSN 1198-6727].

• Koldewey, H.J. and K.M. Martin-Smith. 2010. A global review of seahorse aquaculture. Aquaculture 302:131-152.

• Nijman, V. 2010. An overview of international wildlife trade from Southeast Asia. Biodiversity Conservation 19:1101-1114.

• Vincent, A.C.J. 1996. The International Trade in Seahorses.  TRAFFIC International, Cambridge, UK. vii + 163 pp.  ISBN 1858500982

• Reported legislation that pertains to live or dried syngnathid extraction and trade – by country (pdf)

• Pollom, R.A., Ralph, G.M., Pollock, C.M. & A.C.J. Vincent (2021). Global extinction risk for seahorses, pipefishes and their near relatives (Syngnathiformes). Oryx 55(4):497-506.

• Stanton, L.M., Foster, S.J. & A.C.J. Vincent (2021). Identifying national conservation status, legislation and priorities for syngnathid fishes globally. Fisheries Centre Research Reports 29(2) 43pp.

• Vincent, A.C.J., Foster, S.J. & H.J. Koldewey. 2011. Conservation and management of seahorses and other Syngnathidae. Journal of Fish Biology 78(6):1681-1724.

• IUCN Red List of Threatened Species: iucnredlist.org - includes summaries of the information used to make the assessment – such as taxonomic notes, geographic range, population information and trends, habitat and ecology, threats, and conservation action.

• National Red List: nationalredlist.org - summarises national conservation assessment for species, where they exist.

• IUCN Handbook for species conservation planning

• IUCN Guidelines for Reintroductions and Other Conservation Translocations

Related Policy Briefings

• IUCN. 2022. Tracking Seahorse (Hippocampus spp.) Illegal Wildlife Trade Through Seizures Online. (English). Information Document for the 19th Meeting of the CITES Conference of the Parties. CoP19 Inf. 96. 29 pp.

• IUCN. 2022. Making Non-Detriment Findings for Seahorses. (English). Information Document for the 19th Meeting of the CITES Conference of the Parties. CoP19 Inf. 62. 40 pp.

• Maldives, Monaco, Nigeria, Peru, Senegal, Sri Lanka, Togo, the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, and the United States of America. 2022. Next steps towards the successful implementation of the Appendix-II listing for seahorses. CoP19 Doc. 69.2. 5pp.

• Maldives, Monaco, Sri Lanka and the United States. 2018. Seahorses (Hippocampus spp) on CITES – a roadmap to success. CoP18 Doc. 72. 15 pp.

• IUCN. 2016. Assisting Parties to meet their commitments: CITES Review of significant trade for Seahorses (Hippocampus spp.), a taxon traded in high volumes. (English | French | Spanish). Information Document for the 17th Meeting of the CITES Conference of the Parties. CoP17 Inf. 53. 10 pp.

• IUCN. 2016. Implementation of CITES Appendix II listings for marine fishes.
  (English | French  | Spanish) Information Document for the 17th Meeting of the CITES Conference of the Parties. CoP17 Inf. 65. 5 pp.

• Vincent, A.C.J., Sadovy, Y.J., Fowler, S.L. and Lieberman, S. 2013. The role of CITES in the conservation of marine fishes subject to international trade. [This briefing and the Spanish and French equivalents were distributed at CITES CoP16 and influenced the final decision to begin regulating exports of five species of sharks an all manta rays, globally.]

Review of Significant Trade (RST) in seahorses

Foster, S.J. & A.C.J. Vincent. 2021. Holding governments accountable for their commitments: CITES Review of Significant Trade for a very high-volume taxon. Global Ecology and Conservation 27:e01572.

A detailed account of the seahorse journey through RST is available as:
Foster, S.J. 2016. Seahorses (Hippocampus spp.) and the CITES Review of Significant Trade. Fisheries Centre Research Reports 24(4): 48 pp.

A summary is available as:
IUCN. 2016. Assisting Parties to meet their commitments: CITES Review of significant trade for Seahorses (Hippocampus spp.), a taxon traded in high volumes. (English | French | Spanish). Information Document for the 17th Meeting of the CITES Conference of the Parties. CoP17 Inf. 53. 10 pp.

• Seahorses (Hippocampus spp) on CITES – a roadmap to success. Working document (Doc. 72) submitted by Maldives, Monaco, Sri Lanka and the United States of America to CITES CoP18 (Aug 2019).

• Preliminary version of the Decisions adopted by CITES for seahorses