Seahorses spotted off Hampshire coast (From Daily Echo)

Seahorses spotted off Hampshire coast

7:19am Tuesday 13th May 2008 in

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THEY are one of Britain's rarest and most elusive creatures, but for the first time they have been spotted alive and well off the Hampshire coast.

For several years it has been known that seahorses have made their homes in the water of The Solent, but only because their bodies have been found washed up on the shore or in fishermen's nets.

But now a group of wildlife conservation volunteers have become the first people to see the tiny creatures in their local natural environment.

Although there have been increased reports of seahorses being found in The Solent, they are most commonly found off the Channel Islands and Dorset.

There are thought to be around 30 species of seahorse worldwide, but just two can be found in British waters - the short-snouted and long-snouted.

The camouflaged creatures are typically around six inches long, and normally live in shallow waters with lots of weed and plant life, although they can survive at depths of up to 100 feet.

The Solent colony was spotted on a dive organised by the Hampshire and Isle of Wight Wildlife Trust as part of its Seasearch project to map the area's marine habitats and wildlife.

Jolyon Chesworth, the trust's marine officer and local Seasearch co-ordinator, was in charge of the trip off the coast of the Island, in Sandown Bay.

"We know seahorses live in The Solent as they have been found washed up on beaches and in fishermen's nets," he said.

"But to our knowledge they have never been seen in their natural environment by scuba divers in our area.

"They are very well camouflaged so it's a rare treat to see one."

Although seahorses are now a protected species, Jolyon said he wants to see more done to safeguard their habitats in The Solent and elsewhere off Britain.

"Seahorses are a protected species and it's vital that we work to conserve our marine environment to help not just them, but all the other wonderful marine life we have to flourish," he added.

"The Wildlife Trusts is campaigning for better protection for our seas and want to see Marine Conservation Zones established in our area to prevent our most important sites from being damaged and degraded."