New permit requirements for global trade in seahorses took effect in May, according to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

Issued under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species and Flora, the new measure was delayed for 18 months to allow countries that harvest seahorses enough time to assess population levels, establish management plans and determine appropriate levels of trade.

Millions of seahorses are harvested each year. Most are dried and used in traditional medicine for a variety of disorders. "Hundreds of thousands" of seahorses also are collected live for sale in the aquarium trade, according to FWS.

Under the new rules, shipments of seahorses in trade must be accompanied by a permit from the country of origin or re-export. The permits confirm that the seahorses were legally acquired and that the trade does not threaten the species' survival in the wild.

CITES member nations voted in November 2002 to place all seahorse species on the treaty's Appendix II. Animals and plants listed on this appendix are not currently threatened with extinction. However, they may become imperiled without intervention to ensure sustainable harvest.

Several agencies that monitor international trade have created an identification manual for seahorses to be distributed to Customs agents and law enforcement officials around the world.