The critically endangered estuarine pipefish is known from only two estuaries on the eastern coast of South Africa. Syngnathus watermeyeri was declared extinct in 1994, only to be found again two years later. Today, the species is in a precarious position due to human and natural pressures on estuarine habitats. Persistent drought, increasing demand for water for agriculture and domestic use upstream, and pressure on estuaries as a source of food are among the threats to the health of the Bushmans and Kariega estuaries, home to the estuarine pipefish. Alan Whitfield, emeritus chief scientist a…