Culturing the lined seahorse (Hippocampus erectus) in extensive shrimp ponds and cages

Abstract

Abstract The aim of the present study was to develop low‐cost techniques for culturing seahorses in extensive shrimp ponds to foster a legal and more sustainable production chain to meet market demand for traditional Chinese medicine. In the present article, the results of two‐year experiments of seahorse culture in cages and extensive shrimp ponds are reported. We found that juveniles of the lined seahorse survived in cages and ponds very well, and the juvenile survival generally was >70% during the experimental periods. The survival and growth of the juveniles were similar to or even better than that reported in indoor tank culture. Additionally, the lined seahorse survived well (>60%) at temperatures up to 34.6°C which is the highest recorded temperature for the species in the field. For large ponds of >5 ha, cage culture may be a better way. For small ponds of <0.3 ha, culturing the seahorse in a pond is recommended. A 1000 m2 pond could support around 7000 of the juveniles of the lined seahorse. In conclusion, culturing the lined seahorse in an extensive shrimp pond is technically feasible.

Keywords

• cage culture
• Hippocampus erectus
• pond culture
• seahorse
• survival