Let's work together to restore horseshoe crabs to Massachusetts' Beaches!
Let's work together to restore horseshoe crabs to Massachusetts' Beaches!
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
We are pleased to share that H.898, An Act to End the Use of Horseshoe Crabs for Bait, has been reported out favorably by the Joint Committee on Environment and Natural Resources.
We are deeply grateful to the eight members of the Committee who voted in favor. Their support reflects a growing recognition that protecting horseshoe crabs is essential to restoring coastal ecosystems, supporting migratory shorebirds, and advancing Massachusetts’ biodiversity goals. Please thank them!
We also appreciate the three House members who reserved their rights. We welcome the opportunity to provide any additional information that may be helpful as the bill continues to move forward.
We are pleased to announce that H.898, An Act to End the Use of Horseshoe Crabs for Bait, has been strengthened and reported out favorably by the Joint Committee on Environment and Natural Resources.
The bill has now been redesignated as H.5266 and referred to the House Committee on Ways and Means for further consideration.
This marks an important step forward—not only because the bill is advancing, but because it has been thoughtfully expanded in scope.
Please join us in thanking the House Members of the Joint Committee on Environment and Natural Resources (view members here) for their leadership and forward-thinking approach and urge them to continue moving H. 5266 forward through the legislative process.
→Read Bill H.5266
Reach out to the Sponsors of H.5266 (formerly H.898) (view sponsors here). Thank them for their leadership and ask them to advocate for H.5266.
By strengthening this legislation, these legislators have demonstrated a clear understanding of:
This action reflects informed, forward-looking policymaking and positions Massachusetts to lead rather than follow.
As strengthened, H.5266 advances a more comprehensive approach to horseshoe crab conservation and management. The bill:
This legislation marks a clear shift from exploitation toward long-term stewardship and recovery.
For more than 50 years, horseshoe crabs have played a vital role in protecting human health through the use of Limulus Amebocyte Lysate (LAL) in medical safety testing.
Today, with safe and effective synthetic alternatives widely available, we have a clear opportunity to return the favor—by reducing our reliance on horseshoe crabs and supporting their recovery in the wild.
H.5266 reflects this transition and helps create the conditions for the recovery of horseshoe crabs and the coastal ecosystems that depend on them.
Horseshoe crabs still need your help. H.5266 has advanced to the Massachusetts House Committee on Ways and Means, and thoughtful outreach can help ensure the bill continues moving forward.
Please consider sending a brief letter or email expressing your support for H.5266 to:
(Please copy and paste the email addresses directly into your email.)
If you have a personal or professional connection to a member of the Ways and Means Committee—especially those who previously supported H.898—your outreach may be particularly influential.
If you contact any legislators or staff, please copy me or email me at sharl@horseshoecrabs.org or by replying to this message. (Please copy and paste the address into your email.)
** Indicates legislators who co-sponsored H.898 and may be especially receptive to hearing from constituents and supporters.
Need help writing your comments? Look below for a template to get started.
The excerpts below represent a small sample of the many letters submitted by scientists, conservation leaders, and community members in support of this legislation.
American Bird Conservancy (ABC)
"There are bait alternatives to horseshoe crabs and synthetically-derived medical safety tests that do not require the harvest and bleeding of horseshoe crabs."
→ Read full letter
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. ..If Connecticut and New York find it feasible and practicable to phase out the horseshoe crab biomedical bleeding harvest, so should Massachusetts."
→ Read full letter (395 pages)
Dr. Eric Chivian, M.D. Editor of Sustaining Life: How Human Health Depends on Biodiversity
"It's hard lo imagine how Massachusetts could sanction using an animal that takes 10 to 12 years to reach maturity as bait...Synthetic alternatives to the horseshoe crab blood assay are on the market, and major pharmaceutical companies are adopting them...There's no need to take so many for blood when synthetic alternatives are available and no reason to take any horseshoe crabs for bait."
→ Read full letter
Conservation Law Foundation
"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...The U.S. Pharmacopeia Microbiology Expert Committee, which includes eight U.S. Food and Drug Administration representatives, authorized non-animal derived reagents for use in endotoxin testing in 2024"
→ Read full letter
Horseshoe Crab Recovery Coalition
"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."
→ Read full letter
Friends of Animals
"We led the efforts here [Connecticut] to ban the killing of horseshoe crabs for bait or biomedical purposes—it passed in 2023. Similar legislation passed the NY State Legislature this summer."
→ Read full letter
The International Conservation Fund
"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."
→ Read full letter
Subject: Please Support H.5266
Dear [Representatives Last Names],
I am writing to express my support for H.5266, An Act to End the Use of Horseshoe Crabs for Bait.
[If you are a constituent of any member of the House Committee on Ways and Means receiving this message, please add this line: I am a constituent of Representative [Name] and reside in [Town/City].
This bill reflects an important shift toward protecting horseshoe crabs at a time when the whelk fishery can significantly reduce the number of horseshoe crabs used for bait by partially replacing them with invasive green crabs and shellfish-based baits already in use, and the pharmaceutical industry is adopting synthetic substitutes that reduce reliance on horseshoe crab blood.
Together, these advances make it both feasible and responsible to move away from the use of horseshoe crabs. The bill also aligns Massachusetts with regional efforts to restore coastal ecosystems and strengthen long-term resilience.
[Add a brief personal note about why this issue matters to you—your community, work, or experience.]
Thank you for your time and consideration.
Sincerely,
[Your Name]
[Your Address}
[Your Email --optional]
Emphasize that the bill:
Again, if you contact any of these legislators, please copy me at sharl@horseshoecrabs.org (please copy and paste into your email) or reply to this message to let me know.
Thank you for your continued efforts on behalf of horseshoe crabs.
Sharl Heller
This stage is critical. The Committee will consider the bill’s broader policy and fiscal implications as it determines whether the legislation should advance.
Next Steps: Thoughtful Outreach Matters
If you would like to help, respectful, informed outreach can make a meaningful difference.
We encourage supporters to:
Emphasize that:
If you have a personal or professional connection to a member of the Committee, your voice is especially important.
American Bird Conservancy (ABC)
nonprofit organization dedicated to conserving wild birds and their habitats throughout the Americas. With an emphasis on achieving results and working in partnership, we take on the greatest problems facing birds today.
→ Read full letter
The Association to Preserve Cape Cod (APCC)
APCC is the Cape region’s leading nonprofit environmental advocacy and education organization, working for the adoption of laws, policies and programs that protect, preserve and restore Cape Cod’s natural resources.
→ Read full letter
Association of Massachusetts Bird Clubs and the Brookline Bird Club
The Association of Massachusetts Bird Clubs represents over 7000 birders in 24 clubs across the state, and the Brookline Bird Club, the state's largest bird club.
→ Read full letter
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.
→ Read full letter
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.
→ Read full letter
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.
→ Read full letter
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. It brings together conservation organizations, scientists, and advocates focused on:
The International Conservation Fund
The International Conservation Fund, based in Boston, is focused on protecting biodiversity and endangered species where they are most imperilled.
→ Read full letter
Manomet Conservation Sciences
Manomet uses science and collaboration to strengthen bird migration routes, coastal ecosystems, and working lands and seas across the Western Hemisphere.
→ Read full letter
Mass Audubon
With 160,000 members and supporters, Mass Audubon is the largest nature-based conservation organization in New England. We protect wildlife, conserve and restore resilient land, advocate for impactful environmental policies, offer nationally recognized education programs for adults and children, and provide opportunities to experience the outdoors.
→ Read full letter
"These crabs have saved countless human lives,” said Will Harlan, a senior scientist at the Center for Biological Diversity. “Can we return the favor?”
"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
The Massachusetts Horseshoe Crab Collaborative is project managed by the Southeastern Massachusetts Pine Barrens Alliance (SEMPBA), an all-volunteer organization dedicated to building partnerships that conserve the globally rare Massachusetts Coastal Pine Barrens.
Over the past six years, SEMPBA has participated in the Massachusetts Division of Marine Fisheries (MDMF) Spawning Horseshoe Crab Survey Program. During this time, we’ve grown increasingly alarmed about the declining numbers of spawning horseshoe crabs—once historically abundant along our shores.
We seek to better understand these ancient creatures: their critical role in human health, how MDMF develops regulations and sets harvest limits for bait fishing, and their essential function in the global ecosystem—particularly in sustaining migratory shorebirds during their intercontinental journeys.
These questions inspired us to launch a statewide collaboration with one clear goal: to ensure that horseshoe crabs survive another 450 million years. In doing so, we aim to restore the delicate web of life within Massachusetts’ beaches and estuaries.
Join us in speaking up for horseshoe crabs. They need your voice—and your help.
———————————————
View the Massachusetts Horseshoe Crab Collaborative Strategic Plan
SEMPBA Website: www.pinebarrensalliance.org
Find current information about our efforts to restore horseshoe crab populations in Massachusetts on our Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/Horseshoecrabadvocates/
The Massachusetts Division of Fisheries and Wildlife Natural Heritage and Endangered Species Program (NHESP) accepted our proposal to state list the American horseshoe crab (Limulus polyphemus) as a Special Concern Species. The Mass Fish & Wildlife Advisory Board declined to give horseshoe crabs even the minimal designation as an aid to their recovery, as if there is no reason for concern. But citizens ARE concerned. Read the proposal and find out why.
SEMPBA's Proposal to State List Horseshoe Crabs as a Special Concern Species, and our Supplement to the Proposal.
Letters received in support of the state listing:
Media
The Horseshoe Crab Saved Us. Can We Save the Horseshoe Crab? I am Bio Podcast.
Horseshoe crabs have roamed the planet for 450 million years, but they could be running out of time, Renée Loth, Boston Globe.
Connecticut’s elimination of horseshoe crab commercial harvests and Governor Lamont's call for neighboring states "to join this growing coalition and enact similar laws to protect the population in their waters.”
Fishermen capturing spawning horseshoe crabs—Horseshoe Crab Capture: Video by Raymond MacDonald.
At the October 12, 2023 meeting, the Natural Heritage and Endangered Species Advisory Committee voted not to support our proposal to state list Horseshoe Crabs as a Special Concern Species based on the reviews of the proposal listed below.
David Smith, Emeritus Scientist, USGS
Kathryn Tuxbury, MS, DVM (in favor of listing)
John Sweka, Ph.D., U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service
I think it’s safe to say that now that Massachusetts is now the largest regulatory loophole for horseshoe crabs on the eastern seaboard. It has one of the largest horseshoe crab bait takes, and now two large biomedical companies bleeding horseshoe crabs for LAL, and the largest rent-a-crab program (where crabs are bled and rather than returned to the sea, are sold for bait and killed), and more holding pens (where crabs await bleeding, spawning in the water rather than on beaches) than any other state, and the largest male to female horseshoe crab sex ratios of any state.
—Deborah Cramer
Horseshoe crabs are in serious decline—and so are the shorebirds and marine species that rely on them for survival.
Humans, too, depend on these ancient creatures. A unique extract from horseshoe crab blood is used to test vaccines, medical devices, and other pharmaceuticals for dangerous toxins—something nearly all of us have benefitted from.
Given their immense value and the fact that it takes 11 to 12 years for a horseshoe crab to reach reproductive age, using them as bait is both shortsighted and unsustainable.
Other states recognize this. Connecticut’s governor has urged neighboring states to halt horseshoe crab harvesting altogether. Meanwhile, Massachusetts clings to outdated regulations that favor commercial fishing interests over science-based conservation.
This needs to change. Help us end the unnecessary exploitation of horseshoe crabs.
👉 View the Massachusetts Horseshoe Crab Collaborative Strategic Plan
View the Massachusetts Horseshoe Crab Collaborative Strategic Plan
Contact Massachusetts Horseshoe Crab Advocates to stay informed and take action.
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/.
We love having people stop by, so feel free to visit during normal business hours.
158 Center Hill Road, Plymouth, Massachusetts 02360, United States
Open today | 10:00 am – 04:00 pm |
It's a good idea to call or text us before visiting the SEMPBA Center at the Center Hill Preserve as we are often out in the field. Text or call Sharl at 617-449-8816.
Massachusetts Horseshoe Crab Recovery Initiative
158 Center Hill Road • Plymouth, MA 02360
A project of the Southeastern Massachusetts Pine Barrens Alliance, Inc,
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