Project Seahorse trade surveys conducted between 2000–2001 indicated that seahorse numbers in the wild appear to have declined in the Western Atlantic (Caribbean and Gulf of Mexico), with fishers reporting decreases in catch of seahorses (proportion of declines that can be attributed to H. erectus is unknown). On the coast of Mexico 21/29 fishers in five locations reported declines in seahorses due to the shrimp trawl fishery. Of the 14 fishers who provided quantified catch estimates, eight estimated declines between 75–90% in the past 10–30 years (J. Baum unpublished data). In Brazil 25/29 fishers surveyed reported declines in seahorse catches due to heavy fishing pressures (I. Rosa, unpublished data). In Honduras 70% of interviewed fishers (n=9) believed there has been a decline in abundance (J. Baum, unpublished data). While we recognize that these surveys and reported population declines do not encompass the global range of H. erectus, we have chosen to take the precautionary approach of assigning VU.

Decreasing