Seahorse discovered in rare Harwich Harbour sighting

The short-snouted seahorse was found outside the Harwich Harbour in Essex

A short-snouted seahorse was found in a rare sighting for a harbour habitat.

It was found in a monitoring pot at a location outside of Harwich Harbour in Essex, the port authority said.

The seahorses are usually found in shallow waters, often in estuaries or associated with seagrass meadows.

Bonnie Caleno, from Harwich Haven Authority, said: "No seahorses have ever been identified in this area, or indeed along most of the Essex coast."

The live seahorse was immediately returned to its habitat after it was found by a local fisherman.

According to the port authority, the fisherman said it was first time his 40 years of fishing in and around the harbour he had seen one of the creatures.

Ms Caleno, the authority's environment officer, said short-snouted seahorse "were recently recorded in the Thames but not many recorded sightings have been seen in the south east coast".

The find has been reported to the Seahorse Trust, who manage the National Seahorse Database.

The species is protected and has been previously listed as vulnerable by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).