Rare seahorses ‘stressed out’ as scuba divers descend on Dorset

SCUBA divers who are unable to go overseas to dive due to coronavirus have been accused of endangering the future of Britain’s rarest seahorses.

Divers who would usually head to exotic locations to get a sight of rare species have instead been flocking to Studland Bay, Dorset, home of the spiny seahorses.

But the many divers and boats risk killing off Britain’s protected species. Both spiny and short-snouted seahorses are protected under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 and any activity that could potentially disturb them requires a wildlife licence or it could lead to enforcement action.

Since the pandemic, diving domestically has become more popular with the Professional Association of Diving Instructors (Padi) seeing an increase in local diving certifications across regions globally.

Kristin Valette-Wirth, chief brand officer for Padi Worldwide, said: “As diving in the UK begins to resume, we’re anticipating similar trends for diving across the UK.” She said it was “imperative” that divers follow environmental best practices and understand local regulations for the “health and wellbeing of underwater life”.

Record numbers of seahorses have been reported in Studland Bay as lockdown meant they were rarely disturbed. The Seahorse Trust recorded 46 seahorses in the past few weeks, including 21 in an area of 100 yards – their highest number in a single dive. Previously this was nine in 2008.

But Neil Garrick-Maidment, of the Seahorse Trust, warned that those diving without a licence, using flash photography, noisy boats and getting too close can make the creatures “stressed” and cause them to die.

“There are divers there every single day. Alongside that there is an obvious increase in boat numbers. They’re a highly stressful animal. Seahorses naturally carry diseases and as soon as they get stressed one of those diseases that lie dormant will take over the body and kill the seahorse within a week or two.” He added that the sound of “350 plus” boats on the Bay is also “really intense” for the fish.

“Covid-19 has been terrible but it has done some amazing stuff for the natural world – it’s quite terrifying to think that all the good it did might be undone in just a couple of weekends.”