Syngnathid tourism management should aim to minimise impacts on animals and their habitat, while also recognizing the potential benefits of tourism to local livelihoods.

In all interactions with seahorses, pipefishes, and seadragons every person shoud avoid (i) touching animals, (ii) removing animals from their habitats, or (iii) otherwise disturbing animals.

Tourism activities should avoid damaging syngnathid habitats by avoiding/reducing direct impacts by divers/snorkelers and by practising sustainable anchoring practices.

Never touch syngnathids.

Never capture, manipulate, or remove syngnathids from the water or their habitat.

Do not infringe upon the immediate space of the animals. Humans are perceived as threats or predators by syngnathids, which can cause stress.

Limit the amount of time spent in close proximity with seahorses, particularly in popular dive areas where multiple divers / snorkelers will visit the same sites.

Do not surround syngnathids with large (>4) groups of divers / snorkelers. Always allow an easy way for the fish to escape and leave the area.

If an animal looks stressed (erratic movements, swimming away, rapid movement of gill covers), move away. Remember that many syngnathid species react to stress (i) by holding on more tightly and (ii) are site faithful and will hesitate to leave an area even if very stressed.

Never move a syngnthid or encourage, coax, or force syngnathids to move. It is common to find seahorses lying motionless on the seafloor. Leave them be.

Never use a muck/pole diving stick, or other implement, to touch or scare animals into changing position.

Do not touch the habitat or holdfast of syngnathids (seaweed, sea fan, coral, etc.).

Do not walk on syngnathid habitats such as seagrass beds or coral reefs.

Avoid damaging habitat by practising good buoyancy, securing equipment, not stepping on fragile seafloors, etc.

Be mindful of camera gear and the effect of exhaled bubbles on fragile habitat such as seafans.

Do not stir up silt with your feet or fins as you may injure the animals, as well as making it harder to find them

Use sustainable anchoring and boat mooring practices. Do not anchor boats in critical habitats such as coral reefs or seagrass beds. Reduce the impacts of moorings by installing them in low impact zones or using ‘eco-mooring’ designs.

Be aware of the condition of the animal at all times. If it looks stressed (e.g. erratic movements, swimming away, rapid movement of gill covers), stop what you are doing and move away.

Touching syngnathids, approaching them too closely, or interacting with them for too long will cause harm or stress to the animals.

It is acceptable to use flash photography in moderation; research shows that it will not damage the eyes of syngnathids, although it may create stress.

Limit the bright constant lights of underwater torches or strong video lighting systems as they have been documented to disturb syngnathids. Stop their use immediately if the animals appear stressed (e.g. erratic movements, swimming away, rapid movement of gill covers).

Do not infringe upon the immediate space of the animals. Humans and camera systems are perceived as threats or predators by syngnathids, which can cause stress.

Never use a muck/pole diving stick, or other implements to touch or scare animals into changing position.

Never sell or buy souvenirs made from syngnathids, their habitat, or other marine life (e.g. corals, shells, starfish…).

Educate yourself about how you can help conserve seahorses by visiting www.projectseahorse.org and https://projectseahorse.org/take-action/

Support local communities and tourism operators that follow sustainable tourism practices such as GreenFins - https://reef-world.org/green-fins.

Only eat sustainably sourced seafood. A leading cause of seahorse declines is capture by nonselective and destructive fishing gears, particularly by bottom trawling. Find more information about bottom trawling and sustainable seafood on www.projectseahorse.org or www.msc.org