Banca March works with Palma Aquarium Foundation on the first public release of seahorses in the Balearic Islands
22 July 2024 Category: Sustainability
- As part of the project “Cavallets de mar balears”, the two organisations completed the first ever public release of six seahorses into the sea.
- One breeding pair of Hippocampus Guttulatus and four male Hippocampus Hippocampus (short snouted seahorse) juveniles, all born and raised at Palma Aquarium, were released into the Sa Dragonera nature reserve.
At this marine conservation initiative, the technical team from the Palma Aquarium and its Foundation and representatives from Banca March were joined by Pilar Gómez i Calatayud, Director and Conservator at Mallorca's Sa Dragonera nature reserve; Luis Rubí Valle, Island Environment Director at the Mallorca City Council and the Regional Government of the Balearic Islands; Joan Simonet, Regional Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and the Natural Environment; Marc Álvarez, Chief of Staff to the Regional Minister; Antoni Crespí, Press Officer for the General Directorate; and Eva Moragues, Head of the Marine Resource Service for the Regional Government.
The sea creatures were transported from the Palma Aquarium to the Port d'Andratx. They were then transported to the selected destination at the Sa Dragonera nature reserve using the innovative zero-emission electric catamaran Blue Circle, operated by TrueWorld. Diving school Firusub providing a specialist support boat as partners on the event.
Seahorses are an accurate indicator of the health of marine ecosystems, and are extremely vulnerable. The project “Cavallets de mar balears”, which was launched in March 2022 and renewed in 2024, is intended to facilitate seahorse reproduction in a controlled artificial environment and subsequent reintroduction into their natural habitat. The idea of this initiative is to try and grow the populations of the two seahorse species in the Mediterranean, which have shrunk by between 25% and 30% in recent decades.
In previous releases, 579 seahorse fry and juveniles were reintroduced into their natural habitat. Thanks to the “Cavallets de mar balears” project, including the latest release, a total of 585 seahorses have been reintroduced into the Balearic Sea.
Mediterranean Fund, a socially-responsible fund
Sustainability is a core commitment within Banca March's strategic goal of Shared Growth, the cornerstone of its hundred-year-old philosophy. The "Cavallets de mar balears" project was channelled via the socially-responsible component of the Mediterranean Fund, a sustainable, socially-responsible thematic equity fund managed by March A.M., Grupo Banca March's asset management business. The fund invests in two key sectors that are expected to outpace global economic growth, the ocean economy and water, and donates 10% of its management fee to projects like “Cavallets de mar balears”, which protects the biodiversity of the Mediterranean by supporting seahorse reproduction.
The renewal of this agreement clearly evidences the ongoing commitment of Palma Aquarium Foundation and Banca March to sustainability, conserving marine activity and protecting the environment.
.