Seahorses are among the most traded marine fish globally, with millions caught annually for traditional medicine and the aquarium trade. Their welfare across wild and captive contexts deserves attention.
Seahorse welfare is challenged in both wild and captive contexts. Wild seahorses are social animals with stable pair bonds whose capture disrupts these relationships. Transport mortality in the trade is high. Wild-caught seahorses placed in typical aquariums refuse prepared foods and slowly starve. Captive-bred seahorses, trained to accept frozen food, survive and thrive in appropriate conditions. The welfare case for captive-bred seahorses over wild-caught is clear. The welfare case for reducing consumption of seahorses in traditional medicine — where demand drives wild population collapse — is urgent.