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FAO Fisheries & Aquaculture Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations Fisheries and for a world without hunger Aquaculture Department Cultured Aquatic Species Information Programme Hippocampus comes (Cantor, 1849) I. Identity V. Status And Trends a. Biological Features VI. Main Issues b. Images Gallery a. Responsible Aquaculture Practices II. Profile VII. References a. Historical Background a. Related Links b. Main Producer Countries c. Habitat And Biology III. Production a. Production Cycle b. Production Systems c. Diseases And Control Measures IV. Statistics a. Market And Trade Identity Hippocampus comes Cantor, 1849 [Syngnathidae] FAO Names: En - Tiger tail seahorse, Fr - Hippocampe à queue tigrée, Es - Caballo de mar oceánico Biological features Trunk compressed, more or less elevated, belly gibbous. Coronet small and rather low, with five rounded knobs. Anal minute. Pectoral short and broad. Dorsal moderate, situated on two trunk rings and one tail ring. Spines range from knob-like and blunt to well-developed and sharp; often with dark band near tip. Cheek spines are double. Double spines below and sometimes above eyes. Prominent, sharp nose spine; long, slender snout. Colour yellow and black body, sometimes alternating; striped tail; mottled or blotched pattern on body; may have fine white lines radiating from eye. Images gallery FAO Fisheries and Aquaculture Department Hippocampus comes Large scale production of seahorses (courtesy: Truong Si Ky. 2009) Nha Trang, Viet Nam Large scale production of seahorses Fry production tanks (Viet Nam) Nha Trang, Viet Nam Profile Historical background Seahorses are under threat worldwide because of the global demand for them and products arising from them. It is claimed that nearly 80 nations trade 24 millions seahorses annually. Currently the largest threat to seahorses is their use in traditional Chinese medicines. Dead seahorses are milled and used as cures or remedies for human skin ailments, high cholesterol levels, excess throat phlegm, goitres, heart disease, lymph node disorders, incontinence and impotence. As seahorses retain their shape after being dried many are also sold as souvenirs. The largest markets for these products are North America, Europe, Japan and Taiwan Province of China. Many are also taken for home aquaria but, being difficult to rear, most are lost. The tiger tail seahorse Hippocampus comes is listed in Appendix II of CITES, effective May 2004. This species is particularly targeted by fishers for medicinal and aquarium purposes; it is also incidentally caught by trawlers. In the Philippines the population of this species has been reported to have decreased by up to 70 percent over the decade 1985-1995. Culturing seahorses is one of the measures being taken to sustainably recruit this species and also to meet the demand for Traditional Chinese Medicines (TCM) and the aquarium trade. In Viet Nam, for conservation reasons, F1 broodstock are kept in cages where they produce a lot of fry daily for release into the sea. Main producer countries Although many countries, including Australia, China, India, Indonesia, New Zealand and the United States of America are reported to culture seahorses, primarily for the aquarium trade, the tiger tail seahorse is currently cultured only in Viet Nam. FAO Fisheries and Aquaculture Department Habitat and biology Tiger tail seahorses are mainly found in coral reefs, sponges and seagrasses, at a depth of 10-20 m. Juveniles prefer to live amonst Sargassum and move to corals and sponges when they become older. Seahorse fry are pelagic and settle to the bottom when they are 35-40 mm. The fry feed on zooplankton, mainly copepods, while adults prefer to catch benthic organisms (Amphipoda, Palaemonidae). This species is found in the Western Central Pacific area, in China, Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Viet Nam. In its natural environment, Hippocampus comes spawns throughout the year but the peak spawning season varies according to their distribution. In Viet Nam, peak spawning lasts from August to November, but in Philippines it is later - from September to December. The first maturing size of H. comes is 119 mm in Viet Nam and 102 mm in Philippines. Eggs diameter averages 1.2-1.5 mm; gestation duration is 10-14 days; length at birth averages 8-9 mm. In captivity the life cycle has been closed. The von Bertalanffy equation shows H∞ = 165.9 mm and k = 0.78/year (Viet Nam) and SL∞ = 205 mm, k = 1.7/year (Philippines). Production Production cycle Production cycle of Hippocampus comes Production systems Seed supply Broodstock are obtained by divers from the wild or from F1 generation animals maintained in captivity. The FAO Fisheries and Aquaculture Department broodstock animals are kept in cages (2 x 2 x 4 m), located in calm sea in a bay or in indoor tanks (2 x 2 x 1.5 m). The feeding regime is the same as the maintenance feeding, but some vitamin A, C and E is added to the food. Broodstock become mature after six or seven months. In captivity, H. comes spawns many times per year (5-8 times) and the brood size ranges from 195 to 626 eggs (average 360). In the spawning season, females transfer their ripe eggs to the pouch of the males. Embryo development takes place in this pouch within 10-20 days, depending on the temperature of the water, the optimum being 26-28 oC. One day after spawning, the fry are transferred, using a 1 mm mesh net, to 0.5 m3 plastic indoor tanks supplied with a biofilter, combined with UV and ozone treatment. The fry are stocked at 1-2/litre and the environmental conditions are maintained at 30-35‰; 4-5 ppm DO2; pH 8.0-8.3; light 12D/12L and 1 000-2 000 lux; zero ammonia-N and nitrite-N; <20 ppm nitrite-N. The fry are fed from birth to 40-days old with copepods at a density of 3-5/litre/day. In addition, enriched Artemia nauplii (A1 DHA Selco, INVE) are fed to fry from 10 days onwards at the same as copepods. Some authors have described feeing seahorse fry with enriched rotifers and Artemia; however their survival rates are low, (20-30 percent), whereas feeding with enriched Artemia achieves >80 percent survival. Ongrowing techniques After 40 days of fry rearing the seahorses are transferred by net for rearing to commercial size in larger indoor tanks (2-4 m3) or outdoor cages placed in calm bay waters with high transparency. Initially the stocking rate is 500/m3 but is decreased as the fry grow to 200/m3 by the end of the rearing period. Tiger tail seahorses grow rapidly, reaching commercial size for aquaria (6-8 cm) in three months. The survival rate from birth to adult is >70 percent. It takes 10-12 months to rear them to their maximum size (12-16 cm). Feed supply During the grow-out phase the seahorses are weaned to frozen feed (Mysis and Acetes collected from the wild) twice per day fed ad libitum. If available, adult enriched live Artemia can be used, giving good growth and survival. Harvesting techniques All seahorses are harvested by net (typically with a 40 cm diameter and a 1 mm mesh size). Handling and processing All cultured seahorses in Viet Nam are packed in seawater with additional oxygen and transported at 3-5/litre for live sale to exporters, who sell them in the United States of America, European Union, Taiwan Province of China and Canada. Production costs Production costs to rear live 8-10 cm seahorses in Viet Nam is ~ USD 1.00 (2009). Diseases and control measures In some cases antibiotics and other pharmaceuticals have been used in treatment but their inclusion in this table does not imply an FAO recommendation. DISEASE AGENT TYPE SYNDROME MEASURES Dip in 100-200 ppm Zoothamnium Occurs on seahorse tail; appears Ciliate infestation Protozoan formaldehyde for 12 hours, sp. like cotton repeating daily for 3 days Dip in 100-200 ppm Ichthyophthirus White spot sp. Protozoan White spots on body formaldehyde for 12 hours, repeating daily for 3 days External Gas Said to be Submerge below 2m; or Bubble Disease caused by gas Interferes with bouyancy and use Diamox 250 mg at a (EGBD) and saturation in the swimming; stresses the fish, Not stated dose of 1 tablet/200 L, FAO Fisheries and Aquaculture Department Not stated dose of 1 tablet/200 L, Internal Gas water or by weakening them and eventually repeating treatment daily Bubble Disease infected causing death for 5 days (IGBD) bacteria Improve environment by External haemorrhages; using probiotic (Baccilus Vibriosis Vibrio harveyi Bacterium haermorrhagic liver; ascitic fluid spp.) or using UV and accumulation in intestinal cavity ozone; antibiotic treatment (Ciprofloxin 5-10 ppm) First symptoms are Improve environment by discolouration and swelling in using probiotic (Bacillus spp.) Costia spp.; Bacteria and Snout and tail rot Saprolengia snout and tail; refusal to eat and or using UV and ozone; fungi spp. swim; lethargy; later, tip of snout antibiotic treatment becomes inflamed and eroded (Ciprofloxin 5-10 ppm) Improve environment by Variably sized white to yellow using probiotic (Bacillus spp.) Lymphocystis; Iridovirus Virus lumps (appear cauliflower or UV and ozone; antibiotic cauliflower disease shaped) on skin treatment (Ciprofloxin 5-10 ppm) Statistics Market and trade Dried seahorses are used for traditional medicine and as curios. Live seahorses are sold for aquarium or hobbyist purposes. For aquaria the seahorses are marketed at >6 cm, but for TCM (Traditional Chinese Medicine) at 12-16 cm. Most dried seahorses are exported to China and to China, Hong Kong SAR. The value is USD 100-300/kg (2008), depending on the size and species; the larger animals are the most valuable. Live seahorses are exported to the United States of America and the European Union, mainly from Asian countries.
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