Seahorses face welfare threats from the aquarium and traditional medicine trades, as well as habitat degradation. Sustainable alternatives protect both welfare and wild populations.
Wild-caught seahorses suffer severely in the aquarium trade. Their highly specialized feeding requirements — live copepods rather than standard aquarium food — mean most die from starvation within weeks. The stress of capture, transport, and captivity causes additional welfare harm. The traditional medicine trade kills tens of millions annually by drying — the nature of this process for a live animal is a welfare concern. Captive-bred seahorses are welfare-positive alternatives for the aquarium trade, while reducing pressure on wild populations that face habitat loss.