The Nha Trang Oceanography Institute has successfully reproduced a rare seahorse species, which is listed in the Vietnam Red Book and the IUCN Red Book.

Hippocampus spinosissimus

Engineer Ho Thi Hoa from the Nha Trang Oceanography Institute said this species of seahorse, named Hippocampus spinosissimus, was chosen for research because this species has nice colors and is good to be an ornamental fish for export. In addition, the output of Hippocampus spinosissimus has been falling in recent years.

The Nha Trang Oceanography Institute has produced thousands of Hippocampus spinosissimus seahorses. It currently rears more than 1,000 healthy fish. The perecentage of live seahorses is 50%.

According to Hoa, this is a high rate because it is very difficult to multiply and breed Hippocampus spinosissimus compared to other species of seahorses.

Hippocampus spinosissimus is not only an ornamental fish, but also valuable for medical uses in some Asian countries, like China and Japan.

Previously, Vietnamese scientists successfully researched and bred black seahorses (Hippocampus kuda) and flecked seahorses (Hippocampus comes).

VietNamNet/TTXVN