Seahorse Hotels, open for business
One of 3 seahorse hotels deployed In Pipes Cove, Greenport on April 17, 2026.
On the Water and In The Field
w/ Seahorse + Habitat Specialist, Kim Manzo + Aquaculture Coordinator, Kate Rossi-Snook
We are excited to announce that as of today, May 1st 2026, we have officially launched Seahorse Hotels at four locations on the East End - Southold, Greenport, Sag Harbor/North Haven, and Hampton Bays, Shinnecock/Tiana Bay. Now in our second year, thanks to our generous donors, we will be conducting comprehensive monitoring of these artificial habitat structures, to catalog their use by Northern Lined Seahorses and other marine fauna.
It is right around this time of year when our local Northern Lined Seahorse, Hippocampus erectus, migrates back to shallow waters for the warmer months, along with most other temperate fishes. Our hope is that as seahorses return, these structures will provide essential habitat in areas where eelgrass, their preferred habitat, has yet to be restored.
Volunteers helping to construct new seahorse hotels at our recent stewardship session at Tiana Bayside Facility - join us at our next event! backtothebays.org/calendar
The hotels deployed this Spring were constructed by community volunteers at our Back to the Bays Stewardship Sessions in 2025. They are made of repurposed aquaculture caging in an open cylindrical design to provide surface area for seahorses to cling to and for macroalgae, sponges, and other fouling organism to become established, which creates additional 3D structure and food sources for seahorses and other fish.
Seahorse Hotel prototypes ready to be deployed
Kate lowering a hotel into the water from the boat for Kim move into position
Kim SCUBA diving to deploy the seahorse hotels
The goal of this project is not only to provide additional habitat for seahorses locally, but also to provide a more permanent habitat similar to what seagrass provides. Mature, reproductive seahorses are monogamous and have site fidelity, so the ultimate goal is to recruit a mating pair of seahorses that will reside at the hotel for the entire breeding season. Fingers and fins crossed, and stay tuned for lots of video updates throughout the year!
Getting ready to dive into the chilly April water! 🥶
Kim found a happy scallop living nearby
Recording data on the conditions during deployment