Recovery of pipefish
50.000 €
2024 - 2025
Baleares
Pipefish, close relatives of seahorses, are a vulnerable species little known by the general public. In the Balearic Sea, we find between 5 and 7 species of this unique fish, which are at risk due to accidental fishing and the degradation of their habitat.
This project recovers accidentally fished specimens and develops a reproduction programme in an artificial environment to be able to introduce the young to their habitat when they are of optimum size and maturity. This initiative is a further step in contributing to the recovery of shallow bays and is supported by the TUI Care Foundation.
‘The main objective of this project is to make a collaborative effort between different sectors to try to reinforce the populations of several species of Mediterranean pipefish by reproducing and breeding them in a controlled artificial environment. The broodstock is acquired through by-catch in close collaboration with fishers from the Balearic Islands. The offspring obtained from reproduction are nursed to a suitable size and weight to improve their survival in the natural habitat.’
Debora Morrison Director, Palma Aquarium Fountadion
