Seahorses are considered key indicators of marine ecosystem health, but they are also extremely vulnerable.
The "Cavallets de mar balears" project, the result of a collaboration agreement between Palma Aquarium Foundation and Banca March, seeks to boost seahorse reproduction in a controlled environment and reintroduce them to their habitat. These actions are crucial, as populations of these species in the Mediterranean have decreased by between 25% and 30% in recent decades.
During the initial phases, several breeding pairs of seahorses are introduced into a controlled environment to acclimatize them and encourage reproduction. In some cases, the project works with a pair of short-snouted seahorses (Hippocampus hippocampus) and a pair of long-snouted seahorses (Hippocampus guttulatus).
Once reproduction is successful, the breeding and feeding phase of the newborns begins. Baby seahorses measure approximately one centimetre at birth and, due to their small size and fragility, require very special care.
The design of the aquariums is an essential factor, together with the temperature, lighting, filtration, and water circulation. Additionally, during this phase, the juveniles are trained to feed on different types of plankton that provide the necessary nutrients, including artemia, mysids, microalgae, rotifers and copepods, etc. To ensure a constant supply of live food, a plankton production laboratory has been set up at the Palma Aquarium facilities. The juveniles will be reintroduced into their natural habitat, once they are large enough and capable of surviving in the marine environment.
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