Conservation mariculture - breeding of seahorses and sacred chanks- Winter School on Recent Advances in Breeding and Larviculture of Marine Finfish and Shellfish
Seahorses are fascinating fin fishes in the marine environment. Seahorses have been used in Traditional Chinese
Medicine (TCM) for more than 600 years (Vincent, 1995). They are reported in TCM to play a role in increasing and
balancing vital energy flows within the body, and as a curative for ailments like asthma, impotency, high cholesterol,
goiter, kidney disorders and skin diseases such as severe acne. Although seahorses are considered to be difficult-tokeep
fishes in the aquarium, they are among the most popular. The captive aquarium seahorses are wild caught,
coming from Indonesia, Philippines and being exported to North America, Europe and Japan (Vincent, 1996). These
fishes are also used as curios like jewels, paper weight, key chains and other items owing to their extraordinary shape,
the ease with which they dry and their series of external body plates that enable them to retain shape even after death
