AFTER an absence of sightings of seahorses in Studland Bay in recent years, two have been spotted by a Dorset Wildlife Trust marine awareness officer.

The sighting confirms that seahorses are alive and well and breeding in Studland Bay this summer.

Over recent years sightings of the enigmatic animals have been few and far between. This could be the result of several harsh winters, fewer people looking for them or it may be that the population follows boom and bust cycle. Not enough is known about them to be sure.

Seahorses favour the rich seagrass meadows found in the shallow, sheltered waters of Studland Bay, along with a host of other marine species that make up a specialised and important community of wildlife.

This summer a magnificent male spiny seahorse was spotted by marine awareness officer Julie Hatcher when she accidentally stumbled on it while diving. A female seahorse was also found nearby.

“Both seahorses were large and in tip-top condition," she said. "It’s good news for the Studland Bay seahorses and good news for Dorset’s wildlife lovers. It also gives us further reason to continue our campaign for protection of Studland Bay as a Marine Conservation Zone."

Divers from The Seahorse Trust noted a decline in the summer of 2013 when not one seahorse had been spotted at Studland.

The seagrass beds at Studland were the only known breeding site for both British species, spiny and short-snouted.

Numbers had dropped dramatically since the second half of 2008 when there were 58 sightings of 40 individuals, down to seven sightings in 2012 of five seahorses.

Studland Bay has twice been passed over for designation as the government seeks to create a network of Marine Conservation Zones around England and Wales.

Dorset Wildlife Trust has published its vision on dorsetwildlifetrust.org.uk of how the bay could look if protected in this way, to counter what is calls "misinformation". It believes that with the right management in place both people and wildlife would benefit.