Santiago de Compostela, Tuesday, February 27, 2024. the Spanish National Research Council (CSIC), through the Institute of Marine Research (IIM), vai evaluate, during dous years, the situación actual of the populations salvaxes of seahorses in the litoral Spanish, incluíof the the Balearic Islands and Canarias.
This actuación enmárcase in the research project “Hippo-DEC: Diagnóstiwith of the estaof the of conservation of seahorses in the litoral Spanish, áreas críticas and mediof the of conservation”, financiaof the with 100.000 euros (en 2023) by the Ministerio for the Transición Ecolóxica and the Challenge Demográfiwith in the framework of the Protocolo General of Actuación DGBBD-OAPN-FB-CSIC en materia of patrimonio natural, biodiversity, forestal and adaptation to the global change. the researchers principais of the project Hippo-DEC are Miquel Planas and Jorge Urcera.
“the seahorses (Hippocampus spp.) are especies vulnerables incluíof the en 2011 in the Listaxe of Especies Silvestres en Réxime of Protección Especial. the pesar of dita situación of protección, the information dispoñible on the estaof the of the populations salvaxes é moi deficiente. the its conservation esixe the need of recompilar, analyse and evaluate the information existente, thus the of ampliar the knowledges in the mediof the of the possible”, explica Miquel Planas, CSIC researcher in the group of Ecoloxía and Resources Marine of IIM, in the that desenvolve from 2006 a liña of research on seahorses. Between the results acadaof the figura the development dunha técnica of cría en catividade and various estuof the ecological, the that fixo that the group se considere pioneiro and punteiro the nivel world neste campo of the research.
“the avaliación of the estaof the poboacional só é possible with the participation of entidades and sectores of the fishing capaces of bring information”
“With this project that iniciamos now pretendemos dar continuidade á liña of research, actualizar the avaliación of the populations and propoñer areas preferentes of protección the considerar en futuros estuof the or plans of conservation. Co project Hippo-DEC obterase information nova, amplianof the the knowledge of the characteristics xenéticas poboacionais and facilitanof the tools of rastrexabilidade”, avanza Planas.
“Daof the the altísima fragmentación that presents the distribución destas especies to the longo of the noso litoral and the its baixa abundancia, with presenza selective en determinaof the comunidades vexetais, the avaliación of the estaof the poboacional só é possible with the participation of entidades and sectores of the fishing capaces of bring information of presenza, thus the with the obtención of mostras that permitan análises posteriores of interest”, engade Planas, quen destaca that “also will be of gran value the avistamentos proporcionaof the by volunteers through portais of science citizen the Observadores of the Sea, in the that the noso group é responsible of the Project Familia Syngnathids”.
Neste sentido, the project conta with the collaboration of Observadores of the Sea, Fundación Aula of the Sea of the Mediterranean, ONG Oceánidas, Fundació Oceanográfic of València, ONG Ambiens, Palma Aquarium, Acuario Xixón and Deck National Marítimo-Terrestre of the Illas Atlánticas of Galicia.