Seahorses really do live in Lower New York Bay

Independence Day. The first week of July started out warm and hazy. The sky was partly sunny with highs in the upper 80s. Light breezes were coming out of the west 5 to 10 mph. The water was warm too. Surface water temperatures in Lower New York Bay were generally in the mid 70s. 

Come July, for those of us who love summer, the seining season is here. A seine net is an excellent tool for getting to know aquatic animals with minimal injury to the catch. It is a wonderful activity to learn more about the biodiversity of the bay and to find out who's home and what they are up to.  

Around noon there was a falling tide. With a 50-foot seine net in hand, I came ashore near Pews Creek in Port Monmouth, along Sandy Hook Bay, with small fish, many of which were Bay Anchovies and Spearing.  There were also adult Northern Pipefish, Shore Shrimp, and a bounty of hermit crabs. Nothing overly special.

Then to my great surprise, I realized there was something unexpectedly moving under a large roll of Sea Lettuce. The critter was small, about 2 inches or so in length. Carefully uncovering the layers of seaweed, I found in my hand an adult Lined Seahorse! 

The Lined Seahorse (Hippocampus erectus) is a close relative of the Northern Pipefish, which is a common catch in a seine net. While pipefish are decent swimmers, Seahorses, although beautiful, are very weak swimmers. The lined seahorse uses its tail to anchor itself to plant life at the bottom of the bay, then slurps in floating bits of plankton and small food with its straw-shaped mouth. This means that the Lined Seahorse has more of a limited range.

 
I am not sure if this particular seahorse swam near the mouth of Pews Creek on its own or perhaps it was carried over by strong currents. I think the latter is more likely. 

 

Although a common resident of Sandy Hook Bay and the lower Hudson River, this was the first seahorse that I had caught in many years. Seahorses really do live in the mucky, muddy, and dark waters of Lower New York Bay! The Lined Seahorse is the only native seahorse found in the bay.

Lined Seahorses can be found year-round in Lower New York Bay. During the summer, seahorses live among the seaweed in shallow water. Come winter, seahorses move to deeper waters.

Although most people do not know that seahorses live in Lower New York Bay, the good news is that the population is increasing. Lined Seahorses can be found as far north as the Tappan Zee Bridge in New York State and as far south as Sandy Hook Bay in New Jersey.

Spotting a seahorse here in Port Monmouth, downstream from New York City, was an exhilarating find. It reminds me just how complex and unlimited life can be in Lower New York Bay. It proves that we humans must be good stewards to ensure that our bay remains healthy for all species to enjoy, from Striped Bass and Blue-claw Crabs to even little Lined Seahorses.