Globally
CITES Appendix II-listing for entire genus (Lourie et al. 2004). Australia and New Zealand are CITES parties.

Australia
1. Listed as Data Deficient by Environment Australia.
2. In Australia, all syngnathids have been subject to the export controls of the Commonwealth Wildlife Protection (Regulation of Exports and Imports) Act 1982 since 1 January 1998 (Lourie et al. 2004).
3. All syngnathids and solenostomids were gazetted as marine species under s248 of the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act (EPBC) Act 1999 (Pogonoski et al. 2002), with implementation effective in 2001 (Lourie et al. 2001, Martin-Smith, pers. comm.).
4. Protection under the relevant fisheries laws in NSW, SA, Tas and Vic.
5. No ASFB Listing (Pogonoski et al. 2002).
6. Present in the following Australian Marine Protected Areas: Jervis Bay Marine Park, southern NSW. Suspected to be in most NSW Aquatic Reserves within its range (Pogononski et al. 2002).

New Zealand
1. Seahorses cannot be targeted by commercial fisheries, but can be sold to Licensed Fish Receivers as regulated quantities of bycatch (see Threats section).
2. Big bellied seahorses are present in the following New Zealand marine reserves, where legislation protects all wildlife from extraction or harm: Kapiti Island reserve (2,167 ha area), Kokomohua reserve, Te Angiangi reserve, Te Wharawhara (1,075 ha area) (Woods pers.obs). They may also be present in other existing marine reserves but their presence has not been documented. There are many more marine reserve areas currently under review around New Zealand, which may include seahorses in their fauna.