2012. Review of Significant Trade - Cites

Hippocampus kelloggi
Coromandel Coast, dominating the Hippocampus spp. by-catch (44 per cent, 9911 specimens
annually) (Murugan et al., 2008). Off the Tamil Nadu coast, the species represented 9 per
cent of by-catch recorded (Murugan et al., 2008). Overall H. kelloggi was considered to be less
abundant than other species and was thought to require conservation action
(Murugan et al., 2008).
The absence of data on abundances and distributions of Hippocampus spp. in India was
considered to limit the conservation and management of populations (Sreepada et al., 2002).
The genus was believed to be declining in India, based on analysis of by-catch
(A. K. Srivastava, in litt. to UNEP-WCMC, 2011); half of the 160 fishers surveyed in India
reported having observed decreases in Hippocampus spp. catches (A. Perry, unpublished
data, cited in Project Seahorse, 2003).
Threats: The CITES Management Authority of India (A. K. Srivastava, in litt. to UNEP-
WCMC, 2011) considered Hippocampus spp. to be threatened by illegal trade, by-catch and
habitat degradation. On the southern Tamil Nadu coast [southwest India], Hippocampus spp.
were considered to be under relatively high fishing pressure (Salin et al., 2005).
Trade: According to data in the CITES Trade Database, no trade in H. kelloggi originating in
India was reported between 2004 (when the species was listed in CITES Appendix II) and
2010. Annual reports from India have been received for all years except 2010.
Fishing and trade in Hippocampus spp. was thought to have been restricted to the southern
states, Tamil Nadu and Kerala (Vincent, 1996). In 1995, annual exports of dried
Hippocampus spp. from southern India were estimated at 3.6–6 tonnes (1.5-2.5 million
specimens) (Vincent, 1996). In the early 2000s, India was considered one of the largest
exporters of dried Hippocampus spp., contributing to about 30 per cent of the trade globally
(Sreepada et al., 2002), with Singapore, Hong Kong SAR, Malaysia and the United Arab
Emirates as main trading partners (Salin et al., 2005). In 2001, exports of dried specimens
were estimated to be 9.75 tonnes, although official statistics recorded only 4.34 tonnes,
suggesting a high proportion of undeclared trade (Salin et al., 2005). The domestic market
was considered negligible (Salin and Mohanakumaran, 2006). H. kelloggi was reported to
fetch higher prices than other species, due to its larger size (Salin and Mohanakumaran,
2006).
Management: Syngnathids were listed on Schedule I of the Indian Wildlife Protection Act
(A. K. Srivastava, in litt. to UNEP-WCMC, 2011) in 2001 (Notification S.O. 665(E)), effectively
banning all trade in Hippocampus spp. (Chapter VA, Indian Wildlife Protection Act, 1972).
While the implementation of the ban was found to have led to considerable declines in
syngnathid fishing, directed exploitation was observed to have re-gained momentum in
mid-2002 in some areas (Lipton and Thangaraj, 2002) and exports were reported to continue
illegally (Murugan et al., 2008; Vincent et al., 2011). However, as trade in sygnathids was
banned in India, no non-detriment findings or population assessments were being
conducted (A. K. Srivastava, in litt. to UNEP-WCMC, 2011).
JAPAN
Distribution in range State: The species was reported to occur in southern Japanese waters
(Kuiter, 2001) and it was reported from Hachijojima Island, Kochi [Shikoku Island], Kyushu
Island (Kuiter, 2000), Yaku-shima Island (Motomura et al., 2010), Kagoshima (Lourie et al.,
1999) and south of Izu Peninsula (H. Takahashi in litt. to UNEP-WCMC, 2011).
Population trends and status: The population status of H. kelloggi was considered to be
poorly known (H. Takahashi in litt. to UNEP-WCMC, 2011; Project Seahorse in litt. to UNEP-
WCMC, 2011). It was considered to be quite common in Kashiwajima [Kyushu Island,
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