Reduce horseshoe crab mortality from bycatch.
End the harvest of female horseshoe crabs to ensure that populations are large enough to support the needs of birds and fish that need their eggs to survive.
Little progress has been made since the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Committee (ASMFC) devised the Adaptive Resource Management (ARM) model with the intention of restoring horseshoe crab populations to levels prior to the overharvest of the 1990s. New analysis proves the ARM model overestimates horseshoe crab population numbers, discounts the value of horseshoe crabs to the survival rate of red knots and ignores data about horseshoe crab egg density. Moreover, the ARM model does nothing to contain the rapidly growing kill by companies using horseshoe crab blood to create LAL.
Commercial fishing trawls use large nets to catch large amounts of fish quickly and are mostly targeted toward a certain species. All of the other marine animals that are caught by being hooked or entangled during this process are defined as bycatch. Estimating crab mortality from bycatch has proven difficult due to a historical lack of monitoring.
Overturn the use of ASMFC’s ARM model
and end the killing of horseshoe crabs for profit.
We are asking for greater accountability from the commercial fishing industry in monitoring and reducing bycatch mortality.
Work with states to ensure compliance.
Reform the horseshoe crab bleeding industry to require transparency and reduce mortality to zero.
Reduce bleeding mortality to zero.
The ASMFC does not have jurisdiction over the activities of LAL producers, so states must provide regulatory oversight to ensure compliance with best practices. We aim to work with state governments to provide oversight for LAL producers that will minimize crab mortality.
Biomedical companies currently experience little pressure to reduce LAL bleeding mortality, which may be as high as 30%. We are calling for the creation and implementation of best management practices that are designed around minimizing crab mortality and adverse health effects during the bleeding process.
Speed the adoption of synthetic lysate alternatives for use in biomedical toxicity testing.
Partner with biomedical industry to encourage use of synthetic alternative rFC.
The biopharmaceutical industry relies on limulus amebocyte lysate (LAL), a chemical extracted from horseshoe crab blood, in order to test for and detect endotoxins in drugs and equipment. A synthetic alternative, recombinant factor C (rFC), has been shown in recent studies to be a safe and reliable alternative to LAL, and may be even more effective as an endotoxin detector than LAL.
Cost estimates for the synthetic are comparable to natural LAL, but the synthetic is far easier to create and sustain production without relying on unpredictable variations in wildlife populations.
PHOTO: Jan van de Kam / "Life on Delaware Bay"
Engage organizations and volunteers in outreach and community science programs aimed at rebuilding crab populations.
We will help support and implement beach restoration efforts to maximize beach habitat that can support a healthy crab population.
Restore and protect habitat.
Build a movement.
Restore horseshoe crab populations.
The most critical part of any movement for change is building a coalition of people who care. By spreading awareness of horseshoe crabs and their importance to both the natural world and humanity, we help strengthen our message.
Habitat loss has devastated horseshoe crab populations along the Atlantic Coast. Beaches have been scarred due to development and erosion, reducing usable habitat for spawning horseshoe crabs. Debris that ends up on beaches presents ample opportunities for crabs to become stuck and eventually perish.
Horseshoe crabs are a keystone species, meaning that they provide a vital function to their ecosystem and that their absence would spell ecological disaster. The reduction in horseshoe crab populations has put an enormous strain on the bird, fish, and reptile species that depend upon them as less of their eggs are available to be eaten.
On an individual level, we can take actions to be better stewards of the horseshoe crab and Atlantic coast ecosystem. Whether volunteering for group efforts to turn over flipped crabs on the beach, reporting tagged crabs, or simply following seasonal beach closures, we can do our part to help protect our horseshoe crabs.
By protecting horseshoe crabs, we are helping provide a future for the natural world that relies on them.
