Can We Sustain the Horseshoe Crab Resource in Delaware Bay without Collapsing Local Fisheries?
Can local fisheries persist without collapsing the horseshoe crab population? We are optimistic that the answer to each of these questions is “Yes!” Artificial bait derived from horseshoe crabs may allow a peaceful coexistence. The first step in understanding this dynamic system is to recognize the ecological value of horseshoe crabs. The eggs and larvae of horseshoe crabs supply fuel for fish, sea turtles, and shorebirds. Gorging on horseshoe crab eggs during their annual stopover in the Delaware Bay, migratory shorebirds can increase their weight by 40-60%. Horseshoe crabs also have medicinal value. Limulus amoebocyte lysate (LAL), a clotting factor in the horseshoe crab’s blood, is invaluable to the biomedical industry. LAL enables the health-care industry to detect bacteria in human blood, to test the purity of clinical drugs, and to verify the purity of all prosthetics before implantation. In addition, chitin from the crab’s shell is incorporated into sutures and bandages to decre
