Millions of seahorses worth $29M smuggled illegally, study finds

Nearly five million smuggled seahorses were seized globally by authorities over a 10-year period, Canadian researchers found, warning it's only the "tip of the iceberg" in an illegal trade that is likely far larger in scale.

To track how widespread the issue is, researchers at the University of British Columbia pored over public seizure reports and news stories shared between 2010 and 2021, finding nearly 300 seizures of seahorses involving 62 different countries. 

In total, the five million seahorses seized were worth an estimated $29 million ($21 million US), they said in a study recently published Conservation Biology.

Dried seahorses are often sought for use in traditional medicine. The most common destinations for them are China and Hong Kong, the study found, but they can be purchased in Canada online and in traditional medicine shops.

Because the study's conservative estimates are only drawn from public records, the "real scale of illegal seahorse trade will be much bigger," said Sarah Foster, lead author and a researcher at UBC's Institute for the Oceans and Fisheries, who is also program lead at Project Seahorse, a marine conservation organization.

While none of the study's publicly reported seizures were in Canada, 19 "enforcement files" related to seahorses have been opened since 2020, according to a statement from Environment and Climate Change Canada. That includes 15 in the Pacific region, "primarily involving dried seahorses or seahorse-based products (e.g., traditional medicines or supplements)."

The study also offers details on smuggling methods and the complexity of smuggling routes, said Foster.

Most seahorse seizures involved passenger luggage in airports, but the largest volumes were moved by ship, she said. In the sea cargos, they were often traded alongside other wildlife, like penguins, elephant ivory, pangolin scales, sea cucumbers and shark fins.

"So in devising strategies to find and flag illegal seahorse trade, authorities will also be helping to address that issue for other marine and other wildlife species," said Foster.

In one unusual seizure recorded in Vietnam, the seahorses seemingly came from Peru; but when authorities looked into the species, they found that they were originally from West Africa.

"These seahorses had gone [from] West Africa, [to] Peru, [and] Vietnam on their way, purportedly, to eventually end up in mainland China," she said.

To counter this global trade, governments need to work together to share information and strategies on how to catch smugglers, said Foster. And more importantly, she added, guard against the threat to the species and biodiversity.

Seahorses can be legally traded under rules outlined by the Convention of International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), an agreement signed by 183 countries, including Canada.

Exporters are required to have a permit, proving their trade is monitored, legally sourced and doesn't harm populations.