Rare seahorse numbers reach post-pandemic high
The absence of boats and people in Studland Bay during lockdown meant seahorse numbers peaked in 2020 but quickly diminished when restrictions were eased.
Volunteers regularly monitor the habitat to assess the impact of eco-moorings, which have been installed to stop boat anchors damaging the seagrass habitat.
The Seahorse Trust said the latest survey had recorded 17 of the creatures on the seabed.
Neil Garrick-Maidment of the Seahorse Trust said: "It is fantastic news that we found so many.
"Half were males and most of them were pregnant, so it shows the eco-moorings are working.
"There is still a long way to go in protecting this amazing site, and the seahorses on it, but we are going in the right direction."
Seahorses are legally protected by law, and anyone looking for them - either snorkelling or diving - requires a licence.
Immediately after the Covid lockdown, one official dive counted 21 seahorses.
Mr Garrick-Maidment said: "We worked out that the site was holding 46 seahorses then but sadly, within weeks of lockdown unlocking, the seahorses were gone."
The eco-moorings installed by the Seahorse Trust, Boatfolk and the Studland Bay Marine Partnership cost about £100,000 a year to maintain.
Boat users pay £7.50 to moor there for four hours, or £15 for 24 hours, or £150 for a seasonal pass. There is also an option to pay more to help support the conservation work.
The trust is also appealing for donations to install more moorings.
You can follow BBC Dorset on Facebook, X (Twitter), or Instagram.
Breeding seahorses delay harbour wall repairs
Giant seahorse find 'one of biggest ever recorded'
Eco-moorings to protect seahorses set to double
The Seahorse Trust
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When you buy through links on our articles, Future and its syndication partners may earn a commission. Sleeping during a heatwave is difficult. Now, imagine sleeping in a car during a heatwave and you'll start to imagine how I felt during my six nights at Glastonbury Festival sleeping in a (very well insulated) campervan. Being a UK campervan, it's designed to keep as much heat in as possible to help sleepers with the typical cold nights in England. So, when an unprecedented wave of 30 degrees Celcius (86 degrees Farenheit) heat hit the Worthy Farm festival site, it became a sweltering tin can. However, as the Sleep Features Editor for Tom's Guide, I had a few tricks up my sleeve to help me and my husband cool down and get good sleep (as good as it can be at a festival) night after night. While I've camped in a tent at Glastonbury before and enjoyed it, I was incredibly thankful to have the opportunity to borrow my mother-in-law's van for this year's festival. 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