Maher dismissed criticism from some environmentalists that breeding seahorses in captivity will serve only to boost demand, heaping more pressure on rapidly-declining stocks.
Capable of spawning 200 offspring at a go in the wild, with the right conditioning seahorses could breed closer to 1,000 juveniles, Maher said.
The company aims to sell seahorses for the pet market, retailing from 200 euros each, over the Internet, to be dispatched for next-day delivery.
"Seahorses travel quite well in tightly packed bags, with oxygen, just like goldfish," Maher said.
Sales are forecast at around 30,000 next year and around 70,000 the year after. Over time, Maher said there were plans to open a visitor center, using the seahorse as an icon for other endangered species.
"We will use it as a focus for conservation because it's not just the panda in China or the river dolphin in India that are in need of help," he said.
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