The Impact of Fishing on the East Coast:

• Recent studies published in the Journal of Threatened Taxa have shed light on this unusual migration.
• One such study focused on a juvenile great seahorse, Hippocampus kelloggi, which was found in the Ganjam district of Odisha at the Ariyapalli fish landing center.
• The southern coast is facing a severe strain on its marine resources due to overfishing and the use of illegal fishing methods like bottom trawling.
• These intensive fishing activities on the Coromandel coast are believed to be the primary trigger for the seahorses' migration.
• Seahorses, being poor swimmers, rely on a method known as rafting to move around. They attach themselves to floating substances like algae or plastic debris, which are carried by the ocean currents.
• The journey from Palk Bay and the Gulf of Mannar to Odisha, a distance of roughly 1300 km, is believed to be a result of the intense fishing pressure on the Coromandel coast.
• In contrast, the fishing intensity in the northern part of the Bay of Bengal, off the coast of Odisha, is relatively lower, making it a suitable habitat for the migrating seahorses.
• Despite a ban on seahorse fishing and trading since 2001, illegal activities continue underground, putting further pressure on the already dwindling seahorse population.
• Seahorses rely heavily on their local habitat for survival, making this migration even more significant.

Seahorse Habitats in India:

• Out of the 46 seahorse species found worldwide, 12 are native to the Indo-Pacific region.
• India's coastal ecosystem is home to nine of these 12 species, which thrive in diverse ecosystems such as seagrass, mangroves, macroalgal beds, and coral reefs.
• These nine species are distributed across eight coastal states from Gujarat to Odisha, including the Union Territories of Lakshadweep and the Andaman and Nicobar Islands.
• Eight of these nine species, including the great seahorses, are listed as vulnerable on the International Union for Conservation of Nature's Red List of Threatened Species.
• The population of great seahorses is declining due to various factors such as their use in traditional medicines, as ornamental fish, and due to destructive practices like bottom trawling and bycatch of fishery.
• In Odisha, suitable habitats for great seahorses are mainly found near the Chilika region, limiting the number of seahorses that can migrate there.

The Way Forward:

• It is crucial to increase the monitoring of coastal ecosystems and implement special measures to preserve the seahorse population.
• Destructive fishing practices such as bottom trawling should be stopped, and the use of nets that unintentionally catch seahorses should be banned.