TWO fisherman scooped up a rare find when they pulled in their pots and found they had caught a sea horse.

Shell fishermen Aaron Quinn, 26, and James Strickland, 18, both from Portland, were fishing two miles off the the island when they discovered a Hippocampus Hippocampus sea horse.

Mr Quinn, who skippers the Red Rose, said: "I have been shell fishing in these waters for the last ten years and I have never caught a sea horse before.

"A few years ago a friend of mine caught one, but it is such a rare occurrence that it made the papers. We are always finding strange things out at sea.

"I recently caught a sea mouse, which had brightly-coloured hairs and looked like a tongue."

The pair were hauling up their fishing pots when Mr Strickland discovered the sea horse with its tail caught in the nets. He untangled it and put it in some water.

The pair rang the Sea Life Park on the town's seafront and were told to bring the creature in to be identified.

Centre marketing co-ordinator Emma Eden, 25, said the sea horse was an adult male. She said: "It is a very bright red adult and we measured it at 13cm.

"This breed is commonly known as the Atlantic sea horse, although they have been found in the Mediterranean.

"It is unusual for fishermen to catch them because their breeding ground is off the Channel Islands.

"We will look after it here and place it with a female sea horse in the hope that they start breeding."

The Hippocampus Hippocampus can grow up to 15cm long and is usually found in shallow waters. It has been classified as a rare and vulnerable species by the World Conservation Agency.