Dried seahorses are used in traditional Asian medicines, while live ones are valued by fish hobbyists, who raise them in aquariums. Populations of wild seahorses have declined throughout the world due to over-harvesting. New Zealand’s native large-bellied seahorse, pictured here, is being investigated by National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research (NIWA) scientists as a potential aquaculture species. Culturing trials to 2004 have shown that the animal can be raised economically.
Te whakamahi i tēnei tūemi
Te Ara - The Encyclopedia of New Zealand
Photograph by Melanie Lovell-Smith
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