One of the 46 species of seahorses, all of which are in decline, this seahorse is classified as Vulnerable by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). Their global decline is due to coastal development, marine pollution, destruction of seagrass and coral habitats, oil spills, bycatch, collection for the aquarium trade, global climate change and ocean acidification. More than 20 million seahorses are estimated to be traded each year for Chinese medicine. Lesser known causes are land-based deforestation which leads to increased siltation in surrounding marine waters, thereby suffocating sea grass beds and killing coral reefs.