Her work is dedicated to building constituencies and encouraging new and stronger alliances for marine conservation. Our experience in Bohol provides a very sound background for such national work, with many successful experiments and trials already completed. Moreover, the people associated with our Bohol projects are very willing to help spread the conservation message around the country, as with the new national marine protected area alliance that we have launched. Vietnam relies on marine products as its second most important export income earner and fisheries provide approximately half of the nation's animal protein. Because Vietnam's fisheries within the 50m depth contour are recognized as depleted, fisheries management and the promotion of alternative fisheries products are a high priority in the country.
Seahorses are one such fishery, both as a valuable by-catch of trawl fishing and a target catch.
Vietnamese trade research has established that this country became a major seahorse exporter in about 1988, when fishing effort in general increased and China, reflecting its rapid economic growth, began requesting more seahorses for medicines. Current supply does not meet demand and the heavy exploitation means that fewer and smaller seahorses are now caught in Vietnam. Project Seahorse team member Do Huu Hoang at the Institute of Oceanography in Nha Trang, Vietnam Project Seahorse-Vietnam documents seahorse fisheries and trade in Vietnam, and seeks ways to maintain its economic role while reducing dependence on declining wild populations. Seahorse fisheries data have been collected by the team since 1995. These data are being analyzed with the previous years' data to assess trends in the fisheries.