Seahorses face welfare harms from wild capture for traditional medicine and the aquarium trade, as well as challenges in providing appropriate captive care.
Wild-caught seahorses are transported in cramped, unsuitable conditions causing high mortality — up to 95% may die before reaching the consumer in some supply chains. Dried seahorses used in medicine represent millions of animals killed without welfare consideration. Captive seahorses require live brine shrimp or mysid shrimp — unavailability causes starvation. Pair separation causes behavioural distress. Failure to maintain appropriate tank conditions causes organ failure rapidly in these fragile animals.