Irish company to farm seahorses for human consumption

Irish company to farm seahorses for human consumption.

A company based in Co Galway, Ireland intends to farm seahorses for commercial supply to the aquarium and traditional Chinese medicine trades. It is already supplying public aquariums in Ireland.

Seahorse Ireland Ltd (Eachuisce Eireann Teo) states that Ireland's two native seahorse species (Hippocampus guttulatus and Hippocampus hippocampus) perfectly meet the market requirements for both the Asian medicinal and global aquarium trades.

Given their high commercial value and 'almost insatiable market demand', the company is culturing eight species of seahorse, including thetwo native species, as 'non-food aquatic products'.

These concerns of the Marine Work Group are summarised in a 22-page report ("Seahorse farming: commerce or conservation?") available on the Marine Work Group website at:
http://www.mwg.utvinternet.com/redalert_seahorses.html

The full report can be downloaded (Word file 160 Kb) directly from:

http://www.mwg.utvinternet.com/downloads/Red%20Alert%20(seahorse%20farming).doc

Alternatively to use the ECBC download link for the above file click here
or as Zip file of the same (63 Kb) from:
http://www.mwg.utvinternet.com/downloads/seahorse.zip
Alternatively to use the ECBC download link for the above zipped file click here

If you are in a position to publicise this matter, please do so. If you have any questions, please contact :

Andy Scollick
Friends of Irish Seahorses
c/o Marine Work Group
Kiltykare, Grange
Co. Sligo, Ireland

Email: seahorses@mwg.utvinternet.ie
MWG Web: www.mwg.utvinternet.com