Horseshoe Crab Advocates

The excerpts below represent just a small sample of the many letters submitted in support of H.5266. Far from being driven by emotion or lack of understanding, this effort is grounded in the work of scientists, conservation professionals, and others with deep expertise in coastal ecosystems.

The International Conservation Fund
The International Conservation Fund, based in Boston, is focused on protecting biodiversity and endangered species where they are most imperilled.

"There should also be no increase in the allowed take of these crabs for the biomedical industry. With widely available, more effective synthetic alternatives accepted by the by the US and European Pharmaceopeias, there is no longer any reason to bleed horseshoe crabs to make assays to test for endotoxin contamination in injected drugs and vaccines."
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Center for Biological Diversity
"Phase out the biomedical bleeding harvest. Rather than increase the biomedical bleeding harvest, DMF should gradually decrease the harvest toward an eventual phase out. Experience shows this is feasible and practicable—harvesting horseshoe crabs for biomedical bleeding purposes is currently prohibited in Connecticut and phasing out in New York. See Conn. House Bill No. 6484, Public Act No. 26-3 (effective Oct. 1, 2023); N.Y. C.L.S. Envtl. Conserv. L. § 13-0331.

Both states have banned the harvest for biomedical bleeding because horseshoe crab blood is no longer necessary for endotoxin testing. Standards-setting body U.S. Pharmacopeia set industry standards for synthetic endotoxin test methods, Congress recently directed the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to update its guidance to accept synthetic endotoxin testing in the manufacturing of new and existing products, and large biomedical companies like Eli Lilly are making the transition to synthetic.

If Connecticut and New York find it feasible and practicable to phase out the horseshoe crab biomedical bleeding harvest, so should Massachusetts."
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Dr. Eric Chivian, M.D.
Dr. Eric Chivian is the founding director of the Center for Health and the Global Environment at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health and an associate clinical professor at Harvard Medical School. A co-founder of International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War and recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize, he is a leading expert on biodiversity and human health and editor of Sustaining Life: How Human Health Depends on Biodiversity.
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Conservation Law Foundation
For over 50 years, CLF has taken on powerful opponents who would pollute our air and water and squander our resources. Our deep local knowledge, legal acumen, and policy expertise make us a prime mover in building our clean energy future, countering climate change, and safeguarding our communities.

"There is no need to permit—let alone increase—the harvest of horseshoe crabs for biomedical use as non-animal derived alternatives can replace reliance on LAL from horseshoe crab blood."
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American Bird Conservancy
"There are bait alternatives to horseshoe crabs and synthetically-derived medical safety tests that do not require the harvest and bleeding of horseshoe crabs. Synthetically-derived medical safety test alternatives are proven safe and effective and have been successfully adopted by companies, such as Eli Lilly. Continuing to harvest horseshoe crabs, when its not necessary, places undue ecological pressure on Atlantic Coast ecosystems."
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Friends of Animals
Friends of Animals (FoA) is a non-profit, international animal advocacy organization incorporated in the state of New York since 1957. Friends of Animals advocates for the rights of nonhuman animals, free-living and domestic. Our goal is to free animals from cruelty and institutionalized exploitation around the world.
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Horseshoe Crab Recovery Coalition
The Horseshoe Crab Recovery Coalition is a collaborative advocacy group working to protect and restore horseshoe crab populations along the U.S. East Coast.
"Massachusetts is home to some of the same companies whose research has proven that we no longer need horseshoe crab blood to ensure patient safety. In effect, the bleeding companies are marketing the animal-derived agent side-by-side with the newer animal-free alternatives. Synthetic endotoxin tests are recognized by the US Pharmacopeia as equivalent and are currently used in at least 10 FDA approved medicines including treatments for diabetes, obesity, COVID-19 and other sterile medicines and vaccines. Given the strong biopharmaceutical presence in Massachusetts, the state should be working to accelerate the transition – not give the bleeding industry the freedom to operate with relaxed limits."
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