White’s Seahorse Queensland Conservation Project

Help protect the endangered White’s Seahorse by sharing your sightings.

Upload your observations from South-East Queensland to help improve our understanding of their distribution and ecology.

About White’s Seahorse

White’s Seahorse (Hippocampus whitei) is a small (~15cm) seahorse found in seagrass meadows and sponge or soft coral habitats along Australia’s east coast. Once common, populations have declined by 96% in some areas due to habitat loss and extreme weather events.

Listed as endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) in 2020, conservation programs in New South Wales—such as breed-and-release initiatives and habitat restoration—have helped recovery efforts. However, little is known about the species in Queensland, making community sightings essential for research and conservation.

Help us track White’s Seahorse — submit your sightings today and contribute to their protection.

Tell us about your sighting

How you can help

If you spot a seahorse in South-East Queensland, follow these steps:

1. Take a clear photo of the seahorse from the side (see our example image).

2. Record the date and location of your sighting.

3. Upload your sighting to our research team.

You can remain anonymous, and your sighting details will not be made public. If you provide contact details, we may follow up for additional information.

What happens next?

If your sighting is recent, we will:

Survey the location to confirm seahorse presence.
Tag and collect tissue samples from each seahorse for population genetics research.
Name a seahorse after you! If we tag a seahorse at your sighting location, we’ll update you on its progress.

Unlike in NSW, no conservation initiatives currently exist for White’s Seahorse in Queensland, and we have limited data on their population size, distribution and threats. Most information comes from anecdotal sightings.

This project aims to:

Understand the abundance and distribution of H. whitei in SE Queensland.
Examine the genetic relatedness of SE Queensland populations to those in NSW.
Identify habitat preferences.
Map seagrass and benthic habitats to assess environmental changes that may threaten this species.

By gathering this data, we aim to develop best-practice conservation management strategies for White’s Seahorse in Queensland and refine conservation actions for seahorses across Australia.

Why your sightings matter

Your observations help us:

Identify where White’s Seahorses occur in SE Queensland.
Understand their habitat preferences.
Assess population resilience based on size variations.

Research team

Research partners

Queensland Threatened Species Research Grants – Department of Environment, Tourism, Science and Innovation
Sea World Foundation
Marine Sensory Ecology Group
The Moreton Bay Foundation
NSW Department of Primary Industries