Sydney Seahorse Breeding Project

The Project Begins

To help recover declining populations, SEA LIFE Sydney Aquarium began implementing an exciting new breeding and conservation project in collaboration with a suite of organisations including the NSW Department of Primary Industries (DPI) Fisheries and the University of Technology Sydney (UTS) who are their two main partners. The project aims to successfully breed, raise, and release White’s Seahorse back into the wild and monitor their success in helping reverse the decline of this iconic Endangered species.

Seahorse Hotels launched in the Harbour

The primary cause for the White’s Seahorse decline is the loss of natural habitat across their range. To help recover populations, suitable habitat must be available for the seahorses to live on. The sheltered bay at Clifton Gardens provided an ideal location to install seahorse hotels, and simulate the natural habitats which have been lost.

Inspired by lost crab traps, these seahorse hotels start as artificial structures then grow into natural habitats once they are placed in the marine environment. Over time they are grown over by sponges and algae, making them the perfect home for seahorses.

Endangered White's Seahorse Released

In a landmark event ten months in the making, a group of aquarium bred White’s Seahorses have been released into Sydney Harbour as part of a critical conservation project aimed at helping recover this iconic Endangered species.

New year, new babies!

A herd of babies each smaller than a grain of rice emerged from their dads’ pouches in the final months of 2020, with a few dozen arriving just two days before the new year rolled around. Their arrival marks a successful start to the second year of the White’s Seahorse Conservation Breeding Program initiated by SEA LIFE Sydney Aquarium, Fisheries NSW and the University of Technology Sydney.