Check- In time at SeaBnB!
140 Endangered Sydney Seahorses find a new home
140 baby White’s seahorses raised in the nursery at SEA LIFE Sydney aquarium were released into the wild today at Delwood Beach and Little Manly. The White’s Seahorse, also known as the Sydney Seahorse, is an endangered species – as is its natural habitat, seagrass Posidonia beds.
The White’s seahorse recovery program is now in year two and has seen over 200 seahorses bred at SEA LIFE Sydney Aquarium released into Sydney Harbour.
The program brings together researchers from UTS, NSW DPI Fisheries, SEA LIFE and SIMS to provide temporary hotels or SeaBnbs for the seahorses while we set about restoring their natural habitat. And best of all SeaBnB, an initiative of Taylors Wines and SIMS has created an opportunity for us all to be part of this world leading recovery conservation. Book a stay for a seahorse today!
The release of the seahorses into their new hotels marks a significant milestone in the SeaBnB fundraising initiative between the Sydney Institute of Marine Science and family winery Taylors Wines. The SeaBnB initiative aims to raise much needed funds to restore both the White’s seahorse population in Sydney Harbour and their natural Posidonia australis homes. To date, the campaign has raised more than $25,000 with a goal to reach $150,000. Donations can be made by visiting seabnb.com.au to see these vital marine ecosystems flourish in our harbour.
Dr. David Harasti, Senior Marine Scientist with DPI Fisheries, said, “just last year the White’s seahorse was listed as an Endangered species in NSW and this collaborative project is helping provide artificial homes for seahorses to live on in Sydney Harbour. The captive breeding program and Seahorse Hotels initiative is providing hope for this iconic and mythical marine species and will hopefully contribute to their numbers increasing in the wild”.
With the aim to recover the iconic White’s seahorses, the seahorse breeding and recovery project is a collaborative effort between SEA LIFE Sydney Aquarium, the Department of Primary Industries (DPI) Fisheries, Ocean Youth, the Gamay Rangers, the University of Technology Sydney (UTS), SIMS, and Taylors Wines – plus all those who support the SeaBnBcampaign – with special mention to the Lim-Sutton Initiative.
