Peau-BleueASSOCIATION:Build and share knowledge of aquatic life
Peau-Bleue is a non-for-profit organization that was created in 1995. Its main goal is to improve - and share - knowledge of the bewildering biological and ecological diversity of aquatic environment. During the past ten years, Peau-Bleue has developed several participatory or citizen science projects.
UnderWater Biology Trips (Voyages Bio Sous-Marine) - Since 2002, these trips offer amateur divers an opportunity to participate in underwater scientific studies. Today, they reach a new dimension, with new cooperation and eco-volunteering projects. Among the scientific programs that could be launched thanks to these UW Bio Trips, one can mention the Red Sea Fish Watch project, aiming at describing reef fish communities in the Red Sea and the seas surrounding Arabia.
Seahorse Quest (EnQuête d'Hippocampes) - This program, that includes the Hippo-ATLAS, Hippo-HABITAT and Hippo-THAU projects, started in 2005. Its goal is to study these bizarre fish, known to be endangered in many parts of the world, and so badly known in our waters. This program now also deals with pipefish species, that belong to the same family Syngnathidae.
A unique research project on Red Sea fish immigrated in the Eastern Mediterranean.
This diving scientific trip took place between September 26th and October 3rd, 2010. It was the third Peau-Bleue scientific...
A scientific mission to survey the ecology of fish communities in lake Tanganyika (Tanzania)
About 670 km long, Lake Tanganyka is one of the largest lakes in the world. It is also
The best of our photographers.
A selection among our seahorse and pipefish photos, depending on mood and season.
Peau-Bleue news
Help us: participate!
25/06/2022
We need volunteers to complete the diving teams for our next underwater missions: see here (in French).
2022 Underwater Biology trips!
01/03/2022
The programs of the 2022 Underwater Biology trips are now online. See in the left menu (Underwater Biology Trips / Next UW Biology trips).
SYNTESE annual survey: 4-7 sept.
21/07/2020
Our SYNTESE annual survey will take place from September 4 to 7. We use a push net to sample pipefish and other fish species in seagrass habitats (and we put them back in the water after counting and measuring). If you are in the south of France, you may join us!
More information here (in French).
Thau lagoon seahorses : underwater observers
17/08/2021
On the 13th and 27th of June 2021, tens of amateur divers participated in training sessions for censusing of Thau Lagoon seahorses in Southern France. For more details, click here (PDF 5,8 Mb, in French).
Scuba People supports our Tanganyika mission
07/06/2019
Thanks to Scuba People for publishing information about our fish survey mission in lake Tanganyika. Please share the information too! More details here.
Patrick Louisy's book "Hippocampes, une famille d'excentriques", published by Biotope-Editions and CPIE Bassin de Thau is now available (it can be ordered here).
From 11 to 14 January 2019, Peau-Bleue, the Fish Watch Forum and our involvment in seahorse studies will be in the spotlight at the Paris International Dive Show. Visit us at our standSentinelles de la mer Occitanie (M 02 - N 01). And bring your interesting European fish photos in a USB flash memory : our volunteers will help you upload your records to the Fish Watch Forum. See here.
Article in a French magazine
01/03/2018
The last issue of the French diving magazine Subaqua published an article by Patrick Louisy about Seahorses. You can download this article (in French) here (PDF, 2.3 Mb).
Ask for the poster!
06/12/2017
The "Seahorse Quest" Citizen Science program has been running for 12 years now. We have created a poster summarising this incredible scientific and human adventure. You can download it here (in French, sorry; 2.8 Mb).
400 fish species in the Fish Watch Forum!
12/04/2017
Millerigobius macrocephalus, a tiny Mediterranean goby, remains poorly known because it is hard to identify in the field. This record was sent by Marcelo Kovacic, curator of the Rijeka Natural History Museum (Croatia), who is a leading specialist of Mediterranean gobies. The interest and contribution of this renowned scientis denotes the significance of the Fish Watch Forum for fish research.
If you wish to discover all the goby species already included in FWF, please click here.
The Fish Watch Forum now enters its third year... The last record of last year was a recently described species (2016) for which no underwater photography was known, the Levant Sea Bream. And the first 2017 record was a Greater Sandeel, a species rarely observed or identified in the field. The FWF now offers you more than 2700 photos of 378 European and Mediterranean fish species provided by 96 photographers, and soon much more... Thanks to you?
2000 photos on the Fish Watch Forum!
15/07/2016
The 2000th photo of the Fish Watch Forum has been put online! This was a record of Buenia affinis, a rare and tiny goby very seldom photographed. Congratulations to Roberto Pillon for this record, and thanks to the contributors and all the members of the validation team who make live this collaborative project. Visit and contribute at: www.fish-watch.org
Exhibition: Seahorse!
08/07/2016
Dreamed to know everything about Seahorses? In Soutern France, an exhibiton will offer you all the answers, together with amazing photos and films, and a lot of human adventure.
This exhibition can be visited in the Embiez island (Six-Fours Les Plages, in the Var department, Southern France) until the 20th of August. And an English leaflet is provided on request!
Devised and managed by the French scientific association Peau-Bleue and the research laboratory ECOMERS (Nice–Sophia Antipolis University), the Fish Watch Forum aims at collecting and gathering your records and observations of Western Europe and Mediterranean marine fish. Visit it and contribute! http://www.fish-watch.org/index.php?lang=en
One of the top world wildlife guides!
24/04/2015
Already considered as a reference in most of Europe, Europe and Mediterranean Marine Fish Identification Guide is now presented in a new, completely reviewed and updated English version including the most recent scientific findings. 512 pages, 1450 colour photos, 1400 line drawings... Comprehensive and profusely illustrated, rigorous and yet simple to use, this book will help you identify 860 marine fish species. More information on theNHBS website. See also Ulmer Editions website.
Fish Watch mission in Cabo Verde
23/04/2015
A new Underwater Biology Trip has been scheduled for 2015: this fish census mission wil take place in early November 2015 in Tarrafal (Santiago Island, Cabo Verde archipelago, Western Africa). Any certified autonomous diver may participate. More information there.
A new Underwater Biology Trip has been scheduled for 2014: this fish census mission wil take place between the 8th and 22nd of November 2014 in two different locations of Oman Sea. Any certified autonomous diver may participate.
More information there.
Thau, the Seahorse kingdom
27/01/2014
On Saturday February 1st, Patrick Louisy will give a talk about seahorses in the Thau lagoon.
Marseillan (34, France), théâtre municipal Henri Maurin, 6 pm.
Peau-Bleue in Paris Dive Show
01/01/2014
Peau-Bleue association will be present in Paris International Dive Show, January 10 to 12 (Stand C21). Come to meet us and our members, and learn about our actions! Our new poster 'Aliens' will also be available. Thanks to our partner Blue Lagoon / Blue World, who invited us.
Philippines 2013 : the report
22/12/2013
The scientific report of the survey we made in july in Moalboal is now available (downloadable here).
You may also have a look to our photo-report page.
Destination TANGANYIKA!
11/11/2013
Our first scientific mission in 2014 will take place in lake Tanganyika, in East Africa. This huge lake is one of the hotspots of evolution, which shelters hundreds of endemic fish species. More information in the Next UW Biology Trips section.
Seahorses and sand digging
15/10/2013
Since 2012, Peau-Bleue association has started studying a population of short-snouted seahorses in partnership with the Seaquarium in Grau du Roi (Southern France) and the association Stellaris. A project of sand extraction in the area may threaten this seahorse population. A report was shot in order to analyse the subject; this film can be seen (in French) here.
The BioUnderwater Image Bank website presently displays a strange spagetti looking pipefish, Siokunichthys nigrolineatus, thatuses to live among the tentacles of anemone mushroom corals (Heliofungia actiniformis).
Cerbère-Banyuls: our research recognized
27/01/2013
Articles on our study of "Reserve effect" on fish in the Cerbère-Banyuls Marine Reserve have been published in l'Ecrin Bleu # 9 (information bulletin of the Marine Reserve), and in Marginatus, information bulletin of the Grouper Study Group (GEM, Groupe d'Etude du Mérou). This field mission was carried out in partnership with the Cerbère-Banyuls Marine Reserve and several research laboratories. For more details on this program, please check our online report.
Peau-Bleue in Paris International Dive Show
01/01/2013
Peau-Bleue association will have a stand in the Paris International Dive Show : 11-13 January 2013, Porte de versaille, Hall 6, stand C01-A02.
Film : studying seahorses in Southern France
05/12/2012
In partnership with the Seaquarium in Grau du Roi (Southern France), Peau-Bleue association has started studying a population of short-snouted seahorses. A report was shot on this project; this film can be seen here.
Hippo-Atlas in the Museum Data Base
03/12/2012
Hippo-ATLAS records are now included in the French data base INPN (Inventaire National du Patrimoine Naturel) developped by the French Museum of Natural History. The INPN data can be consulted online : see for instance here, there or there).
TV program about Thau Lagoon
12/11/2012
Next wednesday, the French television program "Des Racines et des Ailes" will deal with Languedoc-Roussillon lagoons, and especially with Thau lagoon seahorses. This program will report on our Hippo-THAU project.
Broadcasting : France 3, wednesday November 14th 2012, 20:45.
N-Sulawesi UW Biology trip in a French Magazine
29/10/2012
Our Underwater Biology Trip in Indonesia (Fish Watch mission in North Sulawesi) features in the November issue of the French diving magazine: Plongée Magazine. This paper is also available online in the magazine's website (in French). Our photo report of this mission is available here.
Your photos in the World UW Pictures festival ?
20/10/2012
Peau-Bleue association will be present in the 39th World Festival of Underwater Pictures in Marseille (France), 1st to 4th of November 2012. Come and meet our team in our stand, and bring your seahorse and pipefish photos : our specialists will help you upload them in the Hippo-ATLAS online database.
Hippo-THAU on France 3 channel
01/10/2012
Last week-end, 12 divers participated in Hippo-THAU survey dives. A total of 58 survey transects were made on three different study sites in the Thau Lagoon (Southern France). 14 pipefishes and 4 seahorses were censused and photographed, and their micro-habitat was described. This "Operation Hippo-THAU" was the subject of a TV report in the local France 3 channel. This report can be seen here (select Journaux > Editions régionales > Languedoc Roussillon > 1920 Languedoc Roussillon 30/09/2012 [de 16'16" à 18'20"]).
RHIZOMA: the report
31/08/2012
Peau-Bleue is the scientific partner of the RHIZOMA project concerning seahorses and pipefishes (Syngnathidae). The 2011 scientific report is now available here (PDF, 3.1 Mo, in French).
Seahorse survey in Grau du Roi
27/07/2012
In partnership with Peau-Bleue association, The Seaquarium in Grau du Roi (Southern France) has engaged in a survey of coastal seahorse populations. Yesterday, 4 divers spotted 10 short-snouted seahorses, 1 long-snouted seahorse, and 1 greater pipefish, and recorded morphological and ecological data in order to better understand their biology. See the Hippo News section. To know more about Seaquarium, click here.
