Bournemouth's Oceanarium seahorse breeding programme has had a productive week with successful births of Sea ponies and Zebra-snouted and Cape seahorses.
All 32 species of seahorse are protected under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES), with tighter controls being planned for summer 2004.
Seahorse authority Neil Garrick-Maidment of The Seahorse Trust is impressed with the news: "The success of the Oceanarium breeding programme is fantastic news and schemes like this are essential for the conservation of seahorses. We welcome captive breeding schemes because by allowing many people to appreciate their beauty we hope to preserve these vitally important species for future generations. Without captive breeding schemes like this and ongoing research, seahorses would disappear very quickly."