Horseshoe crabs have endured every single great mass extinction on this planet. It is such a resilient species, and we can bring it back—Deborah Cramer
"Both H.898, before the Massachusetts legislature, and a proposal before the Massachusetts Division of Marine Fisheries (DMF), matter for horseshoe crabs on our beaches, and the abundant food their eggs might again offer to the Hudsonian godwit and the endangered red knot and other shorebirds."
—Rebecca Pugh, March 1. 2026
When the Horseshoe Crabs Are Gone, We’ll Be in Trouble.
Deborah Cramer. New York Times. Feb. 16, 2023.
"In the United States, fishermen take some 1.4 million each year, killing almost half for use as bait. Pharmaceutical companies capture and extract blood from the other 700,000 to make the endotoxin test before releasing them to the sea. Up to 30 percent may die as a result. Many others never make it to shore to lay their eggs.
The International Union for the Conservation of Nature considers horseshoe crabs in the United States "vulnerable to extinction" along much of the East Coast and endangered in New England. Over 20 years of regulation of the horseshoe crab fishery by coastal states has failed to restore these ancient animals to their former abundance."
View the New York Times article here
Call or text Sharl@horseshoecrabs.org for more information. Thank you.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court assembled, and by the authority of the same, as follows:
Chapter 130 of the General Laws is hereby amended by adding the following section:-
Section 107. (a) As used in this section, the following term shall, unless the context clearly requires otherwise, have the following meaning:
“Horseshoe crab,” the species known as Limulus polyphemus.
(b) No person shall engage in the harvesting of horseshoe crabs or the eggs of horseshoe crabs from coastal waters to be used as bait.
(b) The director may authorize the taking of horseshoe crabs by permit for educational or scientific purposes; provided that, the director determines that such harvesting will not cause harm to the horseshoe crab population of coastal waters.
(c) The taking of horseshoe crabs incidentally during legal fishing operations shall not violate this section if the horseshoe crabs are returned immediately to coastal waters unharmed.
(d) Any person who violates the provisions of this section shall be fined $25 for each horseshoe crab taken from coastal waters. No penalty shall result in possessing a cast off or molted shell also known as an exoskeleton of a horseshoe crab.
(e) Pursuant to chapter 30A, the division shall promulgate rules and regulations to enforce the provisions of this section.
The Duke All Swell? team is joined by Dr. David Mizrahi, Vice President of Research and Monitoring at New Jersey Audubon. David is also one of the founders of the Horseshoe Crab Recovery Coalition, an organization dedicated to ensuring the future of the American Horseshoe Crab.
In this episode we hear from David about the surprising connection between two species: the Atlantic horseshoe crab and an endangered shorebird, the Red Knot. We learn about Red Knot migration, their reliance on horseshoe crab eggs, and how human industries have interfered with these populations. David shares insight about how the Coalition is working to protect the American horseshoe crab and how listeners can get involved.
To learn more about the Horseshoe Crab Recovery Coalition, visit https://hscrabrecovery.org/.