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The Smallest Seahorse in the US Set to Be Listed as Endangered as its Coastal Habitat DisappearsThe dwarf seahorse, native to shallow seagrass along the Gulf of Mexico, Florida Keys and areas of the Caribbean, looks set to placed on the endangered species list, in part due to the destruction of its natural habitat. The National Marine Fisheries Servicehas issued a report backing a petition filed two years ago by the Center for Biological Diversity, which claims that the diminutive seahorse, the smallest in US waters, could soon become extinct due to a range of threats, from illegal fishing to bycatch mortality and habitat loss, the latter of which has accelerated with frequent oil spills (including the 2010 Deepwater Horizon disaster).1
The Smallest Seahorse in the US Set to Be Listed as Endangered as its Coastal Habitat DisappearsThe dwarf seahorse, native to shallow seagrass along the Gulf of Mexico, Florida Keys and areas of the Caribbean, looks set to placed on the endangered species list, in part due to the destruction of its natural habitat. The National Marine Fisheries Servicehas issued a report backing a petition filed two years ago by the Center for Biological Diversity, which claims that the diminutive seahorse, the smallest in US waters, could soon become extinct due to a range of threats, from illegal fishing to bycatch mortality and habitat loss, the latter of which has accelerated with frequent oil spills (including the 2010 Deepwater Horizon disaster).2
