Welcome
Fifteen years ago the world's highest abundance of long snout and short snout sea horses were recorded in the Ria Formosa lagoon in South Portugal.
By 2010-2013 the abundance had been reduced by 94%.
The reduction was due to habitat degradation, incidental fishing capture and over exploitation for traditional Chinese medicine, ornamental fish trade and curios.
In the Rotary year 2020-2021, the then President, Uschi Kuhn, put together a team and initiated the club's Seahorse project.
The aim was to work with the relevant authorities and introduce ways of increasing the seahorse population.
This was the time of Covid 19 and via Zoom the Club connected with Rotary clubs all over the world. Her friend Biffy Danckwerks from South Africa, who had arranged many RI global grants, was a great help in the Club achieving a RI Global grant.
After a busy year and talking to the marine organisation we needed to raise 50,000 Euros, mainly to create barriers where the seahorses could breed without disturbance.
The seahorse team worked intensively for four years, raised the 50,000 Euros and in collaboration with the organisations ICNF, CCMAR, UALG and AIRC have secured an area where the seahorses are protected.
Sponsors Are: RC Constantia, RC Denver, RC Meerbusch, RC Bueckeburg, RC Minden, RC Redditch Kingfisher, RC Helensburgh Garelochside, RC Estoi, RC Almancil. Also contributions from RI and various private donors.
The team's efforts have included educational initiatives in schools and exhibitions to raise awareness about marine environmental protection. Signs have been installed in all harbours in the region to inform the public about the importance of seahorse conservation (refer photos above).
We work closely with Dr. Jorge Palma, Algarve University, and CCMAR Director Adelino Canario. On Faro Island there is a laboratory where DR. Jorge Palm conducts breeding programs and studies, including sea dives to observe and count the animals in their environment.
The education in schools program has been a fantastic way to get youngsters involved. They have been very amused in the fact that the male seahorse carries the eggs produced by the female.
The team gave the diving guys from CCMare a truck, sufficient to carry equipment and pulling their boat into the diving area. The club has arranged several boat trips in the Ria Formosa, to let members and friends actually see the seahorse reserve.
Klaus Ukens, the Project Leader, is overlooking the project from a maintenace point of view.
The latest good news is that the seahorse population has stabilised and is now increasing.