Seizure of 41 kg of seahorses and 26 kg of shark fins, the underside of trafficking that threatens marine biodiversity

At the end of May 2026,the NGO Eagle Guinea, in collaboration with the Guinean special services, made a significant seizure, 41 kg of dried seahorses and 26 kg of shark and ray fins, during the arrest of four alleged traffickers of protected marine species.

Seahorses, sharks, rays: who are they really?

Seahorses

Despite their unique appearance, horse head, curved body, vertical swimming, seahorses are indeed fish,grouped into genderHippocampus. Today we know46 speciesin the world, living mainly in shallow waters: seagrass beds, mangroves, coral reefs. They are very slow and not very mobile swimmers, who cling to algae or corals with their prehensile tail rather than fleeing danger, a lifestyle that makes them particularly vulnerable to fishing.

The sharks

Sharks are cartilaginous fish, their skeleton is not made of bones, but of cartilage, like our ears.There are more than500 species, from the smallest (30 cm) to the largest of the marine world, such as the whale shark, which can exceed 12 meters while feeding solely on plankton. Present in the oceans for more than400 million years, long before the dinosaurs, sharks were predators most often located at the top of the marine food chain. This role as regulator of ecosystems explains why their disappearance has cascading effects on the entire marine balance.

The rays

Rays also belong to cartilaginous fish.There are more than600 species, recognizable by their flattened bodydisc-shaped and with their enlarged pectoral fins, which give them this “wing” appearance when they swim. Some, like the manta ray, can reach a wingspan of 7 meters. Many live near the seabed, where they feed on molluscs and crustaceans; others, like manta rays, filter plankton in open water. Like sharks, they grow slowly and have few young, which makes them just as fragile in the face of overfishing.

All species of seahorses are protected by theUnited Nations CITES Convention, but they are seriously threatened by international illegal trade. This Traffic highlights a discreet but lucrative trade, fueled by international demand.

According to Antonia Malina Gustafsson, coordinator of Eagle Guinea, the seized products were probably intended for export to Asian countries, where seahorses are used in certain traditional medicine practices and where products derived from sharks remain highly sought after.“Many seahorses and shark fins are exported to China or other Asian countries. There, seahorses are used in certain traditional medicine practices.,she explains.

According to the Special Services, this activity is not in its infancy:“These individuals and others not yet identified have been carrying out this trafficking for a very long time and in complete secrecy. These people will be brought before the competent public prosecutor's office and the competent magistrates in the matter for legal purposes. »

Why are seahorses and sharks so attractive to traffickers?

For the coordinator of the NGO Eagle Guinea, the answer is simple:“This is a very lucrative traffic. At the same time, the risks involved remain relatively low, and the laws are not always rigorously applied. This is precisely one of the reasons why we are fighting this fight. »

Antonia Malina Gustafsson,coordinator of Eagle Guinea

She adds:“If you go to some fish markets, you can see rays that have already had their fins removed. This practice is prohibited, but it is not even necessarily hidden. »

Scientific research confirms the extent of the phenomenon. In astudy published in 2025 in the journalConservation Biology, researcher Sarah Foster and her colleagues identified nearly five million seahorses seized worldwide between 2010 and 2021. The authors estimate, however, that these figures represent only a tiny part of the actual trade.“What we are seeing is just the tip of the iceberg”,underlines Sarah Foster.

According to this same study, smuggling networks involve at least 62 countries. Seahorse shipments are often associated with other wildlife trafficking products, including shark fins, revealing the existence of organized criminal networks.

Networks that go beyond Guinean borders

For nearly four decades, this criminal network has been trafficking seahorses. It has developed into a vast cross-border network involving several West African countries, including Liberia, Sierra Leone, Guinea-Bissau, Gambia and Senegal.

The procedure is generally the same: species are caught in fishing zones, collected by intermediaries then transported to markets or clandestine export networks. Some shipments transit overland before being shipped overseas.

“In general, it is our investigators infiltrated in wildlife product trafficking networks who inform us about the existence of trafficking and the people involved,”explains Antonia Gustafsson.

Guinean legislation provides for sanctions for this offense. Article 165 of the Wildlife Protection Code punishes the capture of fully protected species with a penalty of one to five years of imprisonment and a fine of 10 to 50 million Guinean francs. Article 3 of the order on the protection of wild species of the Ministry of the Environment also prohibits the capture, possession, transport, sale and export of these species and their derived products.

A threat to the oceans and fishermen

Beyond the legal aspect, specialists are concerned about the ecological consequences of this illegal trade which contributes to the disappearance of these species.

“Each animal species plays an essential role in its ecosystem. Sharks are predators that regulate populations of large fish. In the long term, this can have significant economic consequences for fishing communities”,recalls Gustafsson.

Their disappearance could unbalance the marine food chain and affect the fishery resources on which many coastal communities depend.

Seahorses also play an important role: “They are often considered indicators of the good health of marine ecosystems, a bit like frogs in terrestrial environments. But beyond their ecological role, these species are part of Guinea’s natural heritage”, she explains.

Researcher Sarah Foster describes them as“a symbol of ocean biodiversity”. For Project Seahorse researchers, the decline of these species constitutes a worrying signal about the state of coastal habitats. Ultimately, the depletion of marine biodiversity could further weaken the livelihoods of Guinean fishermen.

This chart shows the path of international traffic

Guinean law also recalls the importance of this protection. Article 3 of the Code for the Protection of Wildlife and Hunting Regulations stipulates that“Wildlife and its habitats constitute essential elements of the renewable biological heritage of the Nation”.