A recent petition, led by The Center for Biological Diversity with 22 partner organizations, seeks to list the Atlantic horseshoe crab as an endangered species under NOAA Fisheries’ Endangered Species Act. According to an article published on February 14, the petitioners state that horseshoe crab populations have crashed in recent decades due to overharvesting and habitat loss, putting them in danger of extinction across a significant portion of their region as threats are likely to persist.
This sentiment is echoed by A Rocha’s Conservation Project team in Florida as they contribute to research on horseshoe crabs. In their interactive StoryMap “Crawling through Spacetime,” our team outlines present threats to the Atlantic horseshoe crab, including the detrimental impact of beach development on their habitat and overharvesting for use as bait or in medical testing. For more information on the Atlantic horseshoe crab, you can check out our Creature Feature.
You can support our horseshoe crab research and other marine conservation efforts by donating to A Rocha USA (Designate your gift to “Specific Project, Florida Conservation Project”).
Add a Comment