Extinction threat for world's smallest seahorse.

Of course everyone knows about the oil spill earlier this year. But did you know that the world's smallest seahorse may become extinct because of it? The dwarf seahorse's are barely 2 cm tall and only live in the shallow waters of the gulf, they also can be found in the seagrass mats that float in the water. Those mats were burned, by BP, so that the oil didn't wash up on the shore. The oil has also made it merely impossible for the seahorses to survive. Seahorses mate for life and they don't have that much offspring so it makes it even harder for them to regain the amount of seahorses that they had before the spill. The oil could effect reproduction cycles making it hard for seahorses to reproduce considering that males carry the eggs. If it couldn't get any worse for them, they are poor swimmers so it's hard for them to escape to oil-free places.

Project seahorse is a group trying to help save the seahorses from extinction. They say that it is crucial to their survival that BP takes steps to help protect the seagrass in the next few months to avoid any more damage to the seahorse population. Koldwey said "We are urging BP to continue to use booms in the clean-up to isolate the oil slicks. These can be skimmed, left to evaporate, or treated with biological agents like fertilisers, which promote the growth of micro-organisms that biodegrade oil."

I picked this story because it just shows the effect that humans have had on not only the environment but all of the other living things on this earth. If BP hadn't drilled for oil the seahorses wouldn't be facing extinction right now. I think this relates to class because it shows how it is an interdisciplinary project because more than one group of scientists/people need to help to save the seahorses.