SailGP is to help bolster the numbers of endangered White’s Seahorses in Sydney Harbour as part of its Local Impact Project in the city.
The league has teamed up with the Sydney Institute of Marine Science (SIMS) to support its conservation work with the White’s seahorse in Sydney Harbour.
The research project will improve the captive breeding of the seahorses and release them into natural habitats once they have reached a suitable size.
SailGP’s funding will be used to raise 100+ seahorses in the safe environment of an aquarium and release them into the wild, as well as the building and installation of five protective ‘seahorse hotels’.
Mitch Brennana, the research lead on the project, visited the Switzerland SailGP Team base during the KPMG Australia Sail Grand Prix in Sydney to educate teams on the work ahead of racing in Sydney.
Talking about the project, SailGP’s purpose and impact project manager Rosie Gosling said: “We are excited to be supporting SIMS in Sydney with their groundbreaking work to restore White's Seahorse populations in the harbor.
“As a purpose driven league, we strive to work with organizations to enhance biodiversity and natural habitats in in the communities where we operate, and we are looking forward to seeing the results of this project.”
Sydney Institute of Marine Science Director and CEO Martina Doblin added that the institute was delighted to partner with SailGP.
“It’s wonderful that SailGP is giving back to the community by helping the endangered seahorse population in Sydney Harbour, Professor Doblin said.
“SailGP’s support will ensure we meet our goal of rebuilding Sydney Harbour’s White’s Seahorse population, as well as restoring the seagrass habitat necessary for them to thrive.”
This impact project in Sydney is part of SailGP’s year-round purpose-led calendar of sustainable initiatives in which the league collaborates with each venue on the Season 3 tour.
