The horseshoe crab was plentiful when I was a child at Priscilla Beach in the fifties. There are still some when my children were young, late sixties, early seventies. I don’t remember when I last saw one.
—Mary Mullaney
Proposal to state list horseshoe crabs as a Special Concern Species
The Massachusetts Division of Fisheries and Wildlife Natural Heritage and Endangered Species Program has received our proposal to state list the American horseshoe crab (Limulus polyphemus) as a Special Concern Species.
VIEW THE PROPOSAL HERE
DRAFT - Conserving Massachusetts' Horseshoe Crabs —VIEW DRAFT PLAN
Proposal to Adjust Commercial Horseshoe Crab Limits for 2023
Changes to the states' horseshoe crab management protocols and fisheries regulations were sent in a public memo to the Massachusetts Marine Fisheries Advisory Commission by Daniel J. McKiernan, Director of the Divsion of Marine Fisheries.. Read the Memo Here.
These proposed regulation changes were also outlined in a presentation by Derek Perry, Invertebrate Fisheries Project, DMF, at the Horseshoe Crab Science Meeting of March 6. The DMF provided slides of that presentation. To view Mr. Perry's presentation click here.
The DMF will be sending out a Request for public comments soon, followed by an in-person public comment meeting to allow all stakeholders to provide their opinions. Written comments are welcome. Subscribe to DMF advisories and updates here.
MARINE FISHERIES ADVISORY COMMISSION BUSINESS MEETING AGENDA
Future Meeting Dates
9:30 AM April 11, 2023 DFW Field HQ 1 Rabbit Hill Road Westborough, MA 01581
10:00 AM May 16, 2023 Emergency Services Bldg 215 Spring Street Tisbury, MA
Horseshoe Crabs and Human Health
Horseshoe Crabs evolved over 350 million years, millions of years before dinosaurs existed. Today, the Atlantic horseshoe crab (Limulus polyphemus) is classified as vulnerable to extinction by the IUCN. The decrease in horseshoe crabs affects migrating shorebird species, such as the Red Knot, that depend on horseshoe crab eggs for food during migration. Horseshoe Crabs are also widely used in the biomedical industry because their blue blood contains a protein called Limulus Amebocyte Lysate (LAL), which is used by pharmaceutical companies and medical device manufacturers to test their products for the presence of bacteria.
SEMPBA volunteers want to better understand horseshoe crabs; their critical role in human health and in the global ecosystem—particularly in their evolutionary ability to sustain migrating shorebirds on long intercontinental migrations. That is why SEMPBA volunteers participate in the Massachusetts Department of Marine Fisheries Spawning Horseshoe Crab Survey program, providing data to the Commonwealth help set limits on their "take" and why we created a Facebook page to help focus advocacy efforts where they may do the most to ensure that these ancient creatures rebound and flourish as they have for millennia.
Keep current and find more information on the SEMPBA Horseshoe Crab Advocates Facebook Page.
We invite you to join this effort visit our Website: www.horseshoecrabs.org.
Survey Horseshoe Crabs on Long Beach, Plymouth
Volunteers in every state along the Eastern Seaboard survey horseshoe crabs May through June. Here in Massachusetts, volunteer participation is essential in helping the Department of Marine Fisheries set harvesting limits. Volunteering with the SEMPBA horseshoe crab survey team, and joining us in our advocacy for tougher quota limits and habitat enhancement of these ancient creatures, increases the number of people who know enough to speak out on behalf of horseshoe crabs.
Sign up to survey spawning horseshoe crabs, and/or train to survey horseshoe crabs during the months of May and June 2023. Contact us at [email protected].
Horseshoe Crab Virtual Discussions
Presented by the Southeastern Massachusetts Pine Barrens Alliance
The Economic and Ecological Role of the Horseshoe Crab and How You Can Help with its Conservation; a discussion with Dr. Jennifer Mattei, Professor of Biology, Sacred Heart University, and horseshoe crab advocates in Massachusetts. April 28, 2022.
View the video recording here.
We are sad to note that Dr. Mattei passed away on December 9, 2022. Sacred Heart University has set up a scholarship fund in her honor. Donations to The Jennifer H. Mattei Scholarship for Undergraduate Research accepted here.
450 Million Years and Vulnerable—Horseshoe Crabs in Massachusetts
A Zoom video discussion from three perspectives with three experts whose lives revolve around Horseshoe Crabs: Brett Hoffmeister, LAL Manufacturing Manager, Associates of Cape Cod; Derek Perry, Invertebrate Fisheries Project, Massachusetts Division of Marine Fisheries; and Deborah Cramer, Author of The Narrow Edge: A Tiny Bird, an Ancient Crab, and an Epic Journey (Yale University Press). February 5, 2022.
View the video recording here.
If you would like to receive horseshoe crab information and invitations to horseshoe crab related forums and events, contact SEMPBA at [email protected].