On Tuesday Coral World and the Ritz Carlton hosted a marine environmental event at Great Bay, which is part of the St. James Marine Reserve and Wildlife Sanctuary. Great Bay is also home to the Ritz.
About 75 seahorses, ranging in age from four months to a year, were released into their natural habitat.
Coral World curator Donna Nemeth said the shallow, calm waters of Great Bay contain sea grass and algae that provide a beneficial habitat for the seahorses. "We have already released a number of our seahorses in this reserve because of its healthy sea grass beds," she said.
Jim Luecke, Coral World's assistant curator, spoke briefly to about two dozen of the hotel's guests and other interested persons before taking three buckets of seahorses about 50 yards off the beach in a dinghy .
Once released, the seahorses nonchalantly drifted to the bottom and wrapped their tails around individual blades of sea grass. The were released two and three at a time about 20 feet apart.
Luecke said that the seahorses life span is three to four years. He also said seahorses often fall prey to predatory fish such snapper, grouper and grunts.
The St. James Sanctuary, as well as two adjacent marine wildlife reserves, protect the valuable nursery habitats for seahorses, juvenile reef fish, lobsters and birds.
For more information on the St. James Marine Reserve and Wildlife Sanctuary, or a map of the protected area please contact DPNR's Division of Fish and Wildlife at 775-6762.
