It is estimated that over 20 million seahorses are taken from the wild each year predominantly for traditional Chinese medicine.

Seahorse numbers have been impacted worldwide by wild harvesting, particularly in the Asian region, but also by habitat destruction. The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) red list of endangered species includes all 50 (plus) species of seahorses. Trade between countries is regulated by the United Nations Convention on the International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES).

Under permits issued by Environment Australia, Seahorse World is one of very few seahorse farms in the world that are registered to export seahorses under the CITES program.