Rare seahorses found in Thames ‘may be breeding’

Evidence of a colony of rare seahorses has been discovered in the Thames.

The short-snouted seahorse, Hippocampus hippocampus, which grows up to 15cm, is more commonly found in the Mediterranean and waters off the Canary Islands.

It has often been a visitor to coastal waters around Britain but the Environment Agency said it had never been found so far upriver.

The sightings, made during a routine fisheries survey at Greenwich, suggest there may be permanent populations in the UK and that the seahorses, which mate for life after elaborate courtship rituals, may be breeding in the Thames.

Emma Barton, Environment Agency fisheries officer, said: “This is a really good sign that seahorse populations are not only increasing but spreading to locations where they haven’t been seen before. We routinely survey the Thames at this time of year and this is a really exciting discovery.”

The last sighting of seahorses in the Thames was much further down the river at Dagenham in 2008. They have not seen since.