Characteristics

• White’s Seahorse, also known as the Sydney Seahorse, is a small, spiny species that grows up to about 16 cm in length. It can vary in colour from pale yellow and cream to brown, grey, or even black—often with small dark spots or mottled patterns that help it blend into its surroundings. Like all seahorses, it swims upright using its tiny dorsal fin for propulsion and curls its prehensile tail to cling onto seagrass, sponges, or artificial structures.
• Life span: 3-5 years

• Breeding/reproduction: White’s Seahorses are monogamous and form long-term pair bonds. During courtship, pairs perform daily greeting rituals involving colour changes and tail-holding dances. Like other seahorses, the male becomes “pregnant”, carrying the developing embryos in a specialised pouch for around two to three weeks before giving birth to tiny, fully formed young. Breeding typically occurs from October to March, when water temperatures are warm.

Habitat

This species is endemic to the east coast of Australia, occurring from Hervey Bay in Queensland to Jervis Bay in New South Wales. It inhabits shallow coastal and estuarine environments, often found clinging to soft corals, sponges, seagrass, and man-made structures like piers and nets. One of its best-known homes is Port Stephens, where it is now the focus of a world-first seahorse conservation program.

Ecology

White’s Seahorses play an important role in maintaining the balance of their coastal ecosystems. They feed on small crustaceans such as mysid shrimp and copepods, using their long snouts to suck up prey. Their presence indicates healthy seagrass and sponge habitats, which also provide nurseries for many fish species. However, because they are relatively sedentary and have limited swimming ability, they are highly sensitive to habitat loss and water quality changes.

Fun Fact

The White’s Seahorse is one of only two seahorse species listed as endangered in the world. It has become a flagship species for marine conservation in New South Wales, helping raise awareness of the importance of seagrass and estuarine habitats.

Threats

• Habitat loss and degradation due to coastal development, dredging, and boat activity
• Pollution and declining water quality in estuaries
• Storm events and climate change, which damage seagrass and sponge communities
• Bycatch and entanglement in protective swimming nets
• Limited dispersal ability, making local populations highly vulnerable to decline

How You Can Help

• Protect seagrass and estuarine habitats by reducing pollution and runoff from land.
• Avoid anchoring in seagrass beds and keep a safe distance when boating near shallow areas.
• Support marine sanctuaries and citizen science projects that monitor seahorse populations.
• Reduce plastic use to prevent debris entering waterways.
• Spread awareness about the importance of these tiny but mighty ocean guardians!

You can also Join our Tweed Seagrass Citizen Science Project! Get in touch! info@dolphinresearchaustralia.org 

IUCN Redlist: Least Concern 

Bundjalung name: Yuruhl (eel)

Characteristics

• Length: Up to 100cm long (but more commonly around 50cm) 

• Colour: White snout with yellow, brown, black and white body made up of a striped and speckled pattern.

• Diet: Primarily crustaceans, sometimes small fish.

• Lifespan: Fifteen years. 

Fun Fact

Habitat: Found throughout the Indo-Pacific region, in the tropical waters of Australia. Often found in areas with seagrass as well as rocky reefs, and also possible to spot in tidal pools (look for them at Julian Rocks or Flatrock) 

Threats: This is one of the most widely spread and populous moray eel species but like many ocean creatures their habitats and prey species are potentially at risk from human behaviours. Issues such as climate change, pollution, bycatch, overfishing, habitat degradation are threats to these fish and the prey they depend on.

Bundjalung name: Jalum (fish)
Status (IUCN):  Not Evaluated

Characteristics

• Length: Up to 43cm long (but more commonly around 18cm) 

• Colour: Whitish grey fish covered in small raised spines and dark spots and with three dark bars – at the eye, on the operculum, and behind the pectoral fin. Very rounded body, broad head, large eyes and distinctive beak with fused teeth forming a single plate in both jaws. 

• Diet: They use their beak to crush small hard-shelled invertebrates such as sea urchins, crustaceans and gastropods.

• Lifespan: At least ten years. 

Fun Fact

Habitat: Endemic to Australia, these fish are found on coastal and offshore reefs from Moreton Bay to northern Tasmania. 

Threats: While not known to be at risk at a population level, there are still many potential threats facing this species such as climate change, bycatch, habitat loss, ocean acidification and pollution.

Bundjalung name: Jalum (fish)
Status (IUCN):  Near Threatened

Characteristics

• Length/size: 100cm and up to 50kg – these fish are actually wrasse, not gropers, but their large size is unusual for wrasse and probably why they are named for the larger gropers. 

• Colour: Varies and is characteristic of age / gender – adult males are vivid blue, females are reddish brown and juveniles can be green, grey, orange or brown. They also have yellow lines around the eyes and large fleshy lips. 

• Diet: Groper primarily eat molluscs, echinoderms & crustaceans, such as crabs, prawns, sea urchins and shellfish.

• Lifespan: The blue groper lives for at least 35 years, and likely much longer. Their close relative (the western blue groper) is said to live for 70 years, based on counting the rings in their otoliths (ear bones). 

• Breeding/reproduction: Fascinatingly, gropers are sequential hermaphrodites – they all start life as females but can potentially change to become a male after they grow big enough (over 60cm). Generally they live in harems, with one male, a few females and several juveniles. If the male dies, the dominant female can change sex and colour to take his place. The larvae start their life as drifting planktonic organisms before settling in seagrass beds. They reach sexual maturity at two or three years of age, and breed between July & September.

Fun Fact

The blue groper is the state fish of NSW (and has been since 1998). 

Habitat: Found on rocky reefs in shallow waters (down to 40m) along Australia’s east coast from southern QLD to southern Victoria. Juveniles often frequent estuarine seagrass beds. These characteristic fish are endemic to Australia and are found in the Byron Bay Hope Spot year round. They tend to be quite territorial, remaining in a similar location throughout their life. 

Threats: Their often friendly and curious behaviour sometimes makes these fish an easy target for spearfishing, and this has led to a decrease in populations in the past. In 1969 they were given total protection in NSW waters but since then regulations have varied and at times various methods of recreational and commercial fishing have been allowed. Currently there’s a 12 month trial of regulations prohibiting any fishing of this species (including line fishing) in NSW, aligning the regulations with Victoria (where the blue groper is completely protected). With quite a small range (less than 64,000 km²) and its slow-growing, long-lived nature, this population is at risk from our fishing activities.