The Horseshoe Crab News

Horseshoe Crab Biography of a Survivor

admin — Sat, 21 Apr 2012 02:26:16 +0000

USA: In his new book Horseshoe Crab: Biography of a Survivor, acclaimed science writer Anthony D. Fredericks travels from the Delaware Bay to the Florida Pan handle on a quest through the natural history and science behind one of nature’s oldest and oddest survivors. He explores horseshoe crabs’ unique biology and sex life, explains their importance to medical science and to migratory shorebirds, and introduces readers to the people who are working to study and protect them. Horseshoe Crab includes a foreword by Glenn Gauvry, founder of the horseshoe crab preservation organization ERDG, who says, http://www.rukapress.com/books/horseshoe-crab

Horseshoe Crabs and Velvet Worms

admin — Tue, 17 Apr 2012 01:19:52 +0000

Delaware: Richard Fortey’s “Horseshoe Crabs and Velvet Worms” begins, as all serious books of science should,at an orgy. Specifically, the author is observing the nighttime mating ritual of thousands of clacking horseshoe crabs in spring along the Delaware coast. “I am there,” he writes, “with my notebook and a fluttering heart.” download the pdf.

Medical Testing Firm Plans to Increase Business Here

admin — Thu, 29 Mar 2012 02:15:24 +0000

Virginia: A company whose product is used to test pharmaceuticals will be expanding with the recent purchase of the building it is renting here — the former Port of Cape Charles Sustainable Technologies Industrial Park structure. download the pdf.

A Shorebird, a Crab and a Call to Action

admin — Sat, 24 Mar 2012 00:54:41 +0000

Delaware Bay: The red knot has begun its 9,300-mile migration from its wintering areas in thePatagonia and Tierra del Fuego regions of Argentina to its mating grounds in the Canadian Arctic. Like clockwork, the shorebird makes a crucial two-week stop each May in Delaware Bay; it is estimated that nearly 90 percent of the entire red knot population of can be found there on a single May day.The bird’s annual arrival coincides with horseshoe crab spawning. Crab eggs are essential to the redknot, which consumes enough to double its body weight and gain the strength to complete the nonstop last leg of the journey north. download the pdf.

ASMFC Horseshoe Crab Board Approves Addendum VII

admin — Mon, 13 Feb 2012 20:04:09 +0000

Virginia: The Commission’s Horseshoe Crab Management Boad has approved Addendum VII to the Interstate Fishery Management Plan. The Addendum implements the Adaptive Resource Management (ARM) Framework, which incorporates both shorebird and horseshoe crab abundance levels to set optimized horseshoe crab harvest levels for the Delaware Bay area. download the pdf.

Corbett to Release $15 Million to Continue Deepening of Delaware River Shipping Canal

admin — Fri, 23 Sep 2011 03:14:59 +0000

Delaware Bay: To continue the 103-mile deepening of the Delaware River shipping channel, Gov. Corbett announced Wednesday that Pennsylvania would immediately release $15 million to dredge the next four- to five-milestretch of the river. As the project’s local sponsor, Pennsylvania footed the $30 million cost of deepening to 45 feet, from 40 feet,the first 13-mile section of channel last year. download the pdf.

Delaware Audubon Society, et al., v. Ken Salazar, et al.,

admin — Sat, 17 Sep 2011 03:53:50 +0000

Delaware: Memorandum Opinion, Plaintiffs Delaware Audubon Society and Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility (“PEER”) oppose a plan by the United States Fish and Wildlife Service (“FWS”) to build berms and repair sand dunes on and adjacent to the Prime Hook National Wildlife Refuge. download the pdf.

New Jersey Should Invest in Horseshoe Crabs, Biologist Says

admin — Wed, 14 Sep 2011 16:55:26 +0000

Delaware Bay: It sounds like ghoulish business, but drawing blood from horseshoe crabs is worth at least $200 million a year, with steadily growing demand — and increasing worries that the supply could diminish. download the pdf.

Survivors by Richard Fortey

admin — Tue, 30 Aug 2011 14:07:53 +0000

United Kingdom: Richard Fortey accumulated lots of air miles and generated a veritable hecatomb of unfinished in-flight meals whilewriting this book (and as an employee of the Natural History Museum that means economy class cuisine). He visitedNew Zealand, Alaska and other US states, Ecuador, Hong Kong, Lithuania, Newfoundland (where, off MistakenPoint, the “bones of 50 ships lie offshore, waiting to be fossilised”), Australia, Malaysia, Majorca, Singapore,Germany, Portugal, mainland China, Spitsbergen and even south Wales (where, when we eat laver bread with itsprimitive seaweed ingredient, we “munch at a Pre-Cambrian trough”). download the pdf.

Horseshoe Crab Board Initiates Addendum VII to Implement Adaptive Management

admin — Thu, 04 Aug 2011 16:24:37 +0000

Virginia: The Commission’s Horseshoe Crab Management Board voted to initiate Addendum VII to implement the Adaptive Resource Management framework. The framework, under development since 2007, will incorporate both shorebird and horseshoe crab abundance levels when considering the optimized horseshoe crab harvest level for the Delaware Bay area. The ARM framework was developed by the Commission, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and U.S. Geological Survey in recognition of the importance of horseshoe crab eggs to shorebirds in the Delaware Bay Region and was peer-reviewed in 2009. download the pdf.

Horseshoe Crab Survey Funding Secured

admin — Fri, 29 Jul 2011 01:59:16 +0000

Virginia: Full funding for the 2011 Virginia Tech Horseshoe Crab Trawl Survey has been secured through a matching donation from the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF). NFWF funds match the combined $100,000 contribution from Lonza Walkersville, Inc. and Charles River Laboratory, providing the full $200,000 needed for survey operations in 2011. download the pdf.

Friday Fossil

admin — Sat, 09 Jul 2011 02:42:28 +0000

Canada: Although it’s admittedly very pretty, Mesolimulus is actually a friday fossil because, if you were to wander along the Northwest Atlantic coast, you be forgiven for thinking Mesolimulus had become depetrified, had crawled out of the museums it was held in and had returned to the oceans once again. download the pdf.

Red Knots and Horseshoe Crabs Knotted Together

admin — Wed, 06 Jul 2011 01:48:46 +0000

Delaware Bay: Speculation that the welfare of a small, at-risk shorebird is directly tied to horseshoe crab populations is in part supported by new scientific research, according to a U.S. Geological Survey- led study published in Ecosphere, a journal of the Ecological Society of America. download the pdf.

How the Life-Saving Blue Blood of Horseshoe Crabs Is Extracted

admin — Sun, 03 Jul 2011 01:54:15 +0000

South Carolina: Inside of Horseshoe crabs, the primitive-looking arthropods that can be found scurrying across the muddy and sandy bottoms of the ocean floor in shallow waters, is a powder-blue blood that you probably owe your life to. download the pdf.

Horseshoe Crabs Surveyed on Martha’s Vineyard

admin — Wed, 29 Jun 2011 02:29:21 +0000

Massachusetts: This story began a year ago. There were four of us volunteers in the moonlight, standing on a beach at Tashmoo under a full moon. With the tide at its highest the occasion might have been considered romantic, if one were not engaged in a serious scientific enterprise. Our eyes were fixed on the slow ripples coming to dissipate on the sand at our feet. download the pdf.

Grand Opening of Horseshoe Crab Exhibition

admin — Tue, 21 Jun 2011 03:28:56 +0000

Taiwan: A photographic collection of the grand opening of the horseshoe crab exhibition at the National Museum of Marine Biology and Aquarium in Taiwan can be seen on ERDG’s Facebook page. The horseshoe crab art that grace the walls and hang from the ceiling, is a compilation of eleven years of student art from ERDG’s Young Voices Horseshoe Crabs in the Arts program, representing the countries of United States, Mexico, Japan, Taiwan, Singapore and India.

Students, Volunteers Help SoundWaters Research Horseshoe Crabs

admin — Tue, 21 Jun 2011 02:11:16 +0000

Connecticut: SoundWaters, a Stamford-based environmental education organization, is in its fifth year of tagging and researching the docile creatures, Shemitz said. Each year, students from Stamford Public Schools and public volunteers help the nonprofit engage in an important scientific study of the horseshoe crab’s travel habits by tagging the creatures that come near the shore, she said. download the pdf.

Would a Horseshoe Crab Harvest Ban Save the Red Knot?

admin — Tue, 21 Jun 2011 02:03:15 +0000

Maryland: This much seems indisputable: The over-harvest of horseshoe crabs has contributed to the red knots’ plight. But exactly how much so — and even whether a moratorium on the crabs is justified — is not quite so clear. download the pdf.

Birds Gamble on Survival on Shores of Delaware Bay

admin — Sun, 19 Jun 2011 03:22:47 +0000

Delaware Bay: Changing water temperatures and more frequent, intense storms seem to disrupt the synchronization of the spawning of crabs and the birds that rely on them for food to fuel a 10,000-mile spring migration. download the pdf.

Under a Full Moon, a Search for Horseshoe Crabs

admin — Sun, 19 Jun 2011 02:56:58 +0000

New York: The full moon rose blood-pink over the Rockaways Wednesday night. On Plum Beach in Brooklyn, a narrow stretch of unpristine sand stashed behind a notorious Belt Parkway rest area, it was time to count the horseshoe crabs. download the pdf.

Horseshoe Crabs and Paper Arts Reception

admin — Sat, 11 Jun 2011 03:09:02 +0000

New Jersey: Young artists and environmental stewards celebrate horseshoe crabs in a Children’s Exhibition at Perkins Center for the Arts, Collingswood, New Jersey. download the pdf.

Lower Township Clears Way for Stairs After Seawall Left Residents Cut Off

admin — Fri, 10 Jun 2011 01:38:40 +0000

New Jersey: The township has agreed to be liable for a set of stairs that could finally give Redwood Avenue residents access to the beach. The agreement could settle a key issue that has been preventing the residents from getting to the water. download the pdf.

Horseshoe Crab Conservation Fund Fundraiser

admin — Tue, 07 Jun 2011 03:52:53 +0000

Delaware: Coastal Kayak in Fenwick Island is hosting a fundraiser for The Horseshoe Crab Conservation Fund of the Ecological Research & Development Group (ERDG). Coastal Kayak is offering a guided kayak eco-tour of a Salt Marsh on Sunday, June 12 from 3:30 pm – approximately 6:30 pm. All proceeds from the tour will be donated to the organization. download the pdf.

Cape Cod Needs Crab Counters

admin — Sat, 04 Jun 2011 03:07:15 +0000

Massachusetts: Horseshoe crabs at Dowse’s Beach in Osterville doing their best to continue the species. Researchers of these ancient creatures say that’s a good thing. download the pdf.

Horseshoe Crabs Day at Sandy Point State Park

admin — Fri, 27 May 2011 04:08:53 +0000

Maryland: On a beautiful beach of Sandy Point State Park all week, the Maryland Department of Natural Resources (DNR) is hosting Raising Horseshoe Crabs in the Classroom field days for students of schools participating in a special program about this important species. download the pdf.

Jersey Shore Town Becomes Haven for Crabs

admin — Tue, 24 May 2011 05:08:47 +0000

New Jersey: Downe Township, New Jersey is entering its first migratory season as a member of the Backyard Stewardship™ Horseshoe Crab Sanctuary Program. download the pdf.

Red Knot Shorebirds in Decline

admin — Mon, 23 May 2011 03:52:18 +0000

Delaware Bay: After a couple of years of relative stability, the western Atlantic population of red knot shorebirds are in a nosedive again, and researchers are on Delaware Bay this spring looking for clues. download the pdf.

Researchers Want to Raise Horseshoe Crabs From Eggs, and Hopefully Replenish the Species

admin — Sun, 22 May 2011 03:44:36 +0000

New Jersey: Woodruff works at the university’s aquaculture facility in Lower Township, where the staff cultivates oysters. But they are looking to expand their scope to raise horseshoe crabs from eggs for release back into the wild to give the creatures a head-start against hungry predators. download the pdf.

Liquid Crystal Droplets Could Replace Horseshoe Crab Blood in Common Endotoxin Test

admin — Fri, 20 May 2011 02:54:41 +0000

Wisconsin: Researchers at the Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering at the University of Wisconsin- Madison have found what may be a more effective way to test for endotoxin that involves liquid crystals, the same material used to make some flat screen computer monitors and televisions. download the pdf.

The Remarkable Success Story of the Horseshoe Crab

admin — Mon, 16 May 2011 15:47:11 +0000

South Carolina: Short video by Charles River about the use of horseshoe crabs in their endotoxin detection products and how they implement best practices to conserve the resource. The Remarkable Success Story of the Horseshoe Crab

State Announces May and June Horseshoe Crab Closures

admin — Tue, 03 May 2011 15:17:00 +0000

Massachusetts: Last month, the Massachusetts Division of Marine Fisheries released a calendar of horseshoe crab closures. download the pdf.

Beachgoers Can Help Biologists Learn About Spawning Horseshoe Crabs

admin — Wed, 27 Apr 2011 14:13:49 +0000

Florida: This spring, mating horseshoe crabs will gather at sandy beaches throughout the state. Biologists with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commissionʼs (FWC) Fish and Wildlife Research Institute need help from the public to identify horseshoe crab spawning areas. download the pdf.

Success for CityU, Ocean Park Horseshoe Crab Program

admin — Mon, 18 Apr 2011 02:16:08 +0000

Hong Kong: Over 100 horseshoe crabs were released into the wild at Ha Pak Nai, an ecologically sensitive piece of wetland in the north western part of Hong Kong, on a programme launched by City University of Hong Kong (CityU), Ocean Park Academy, Hong Kong (OPAHK), and Ocean Park Conservation Foundation, Hong Kong (OPCFHK) on 17 April. download the pdf.

Volunteers Needed to Help Tag Horseshoe Crabs with Maritime Aquarium at Norwalk

admin — Sat, 16 Apr 2011 03:27:04 +0000

Connecticut: It may not be sweet romance but the spring moons soon will be drawing male and female horseshoe crabs up onto our beaches for an annual mating ritual. Staff from The Maritime Aquarium at Norwalk will be on hand to greet them. But your help is needed. download the pdf.

Shoreline Protection to Remain in Maurice River

admin — Wed, 23 Mar 2011 02:58:28 +0000

New Jersey: If the government makes another engineering mistake, according to Capt. George Kumor, there should be a performance bond required to protect residents from the consequences. download the pdf.

New Jersey Seeks To Have Red Knots Listed As Endangered

admin — Mon, 07 Mar 2011 07:09:46 +0000

New Jersey: In the awkward and contentious dance that wildlife advocates, fishing interests, andregulators are engaged in over the intertwined lives of the horseshoe crab and a tinyshorebird, New Jersey has taken the latest step. download the pdf.

Fight Over Dredging Continues

admin — Wed, 16 Feb 2011 04:57:53 +0000

Delaware Bay: Five environmental groups from Delaware and New Jersey have appealed federal court rulings in those two states allowing the Philadelphia District U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to proceed with a project to deepen the Delaware River shipping channel. The move comes days after the Delaware Riverkeeper Network highlighted a Delaware report criticizing corps plans to replenish beaches. download the pdf.

Test Kit for Tetrodotoxin in Puffer Fish and Mangrove Horseshoe Crab

admin — Sat, 05 Feb 2011 00:02:46 +0000

Thailand: The Public Health Ministry’s Department of Medical Sciences has created a world first by perfecting a 15 minute high accuracy test kit for tetrodotoxin in puffer fish and mangrove horseshoe crab. download the pdf.

Biomedical Companies Pledge Over $100,000 to Continue Horseshoe Crab Survey

admin — Thu, 20 Jan 2011 02:51:12 +0000

Virginia: The biomedical companies Lonza Walkersville, Inc., Associates of Cape Cod, Inc., and Charles River Laboratory have together pledged over $100,000 to support the Horseshoe Crab Trawl Survey for 2011. download the pdf.

Pterygotid Sea Scorpions Not High Level Predator

admin — Sun, 26 Dec 2010 16:20:48 +0000

New Jersey: Research by scientists from New York and New Jersey universities has seriously questioned the long held belief that the pterygotid eurypterids (“sea scorpions”) were high-level predators in the Paleozoic oceans 470 to 370 million years ago. download the pdf.

Giant Horseshoe Crabs Invade Naples Beach

admin — Sat, 18 Dec 2010 02:05:41 +0000

Florida: It’s a rare and delightful sight to see horseshoe crabs on a Naples beach, but imagine seeing them 10 times their size. That was the scene one recent afternoon as local artist Ed Koehler unveiled his latest larger-than-life sea creature sculptures. download the pdf.

Howard County Students Raise Horseshoe Crabs in Science Class

admin — Wed, 24 Nov 2010 15:36:04 +0000

Maryland: Lunch and recess can be regarded by elementary school students as times free from classroom instruction, but not for 15 fifth-graders at Pointers Run Elementary School, in Clarksville. The students, along with teachers Eric Jayne and Chris Brown, use the time to raise horseshoe crabs, testing the water in three tanks and feeding the eight 1-year-old crabs and several dozen recently hatched “babies.” download the pdf.

Bloomfield High School Teacher Wins Environmental Education Grant

admin — Thu, 11 Nov 2010 20:03:37 +0000

New Jersey: Bloomfield High School teacher Michael Doyle now has extra money to supplement his students’ lesson plans with hands-on learning, thanks to a $1,917.45 grant from PSEG. download the pdf.

Farmer’s Feral Rice Comes From Paddy Rife With Life

admin — Fri, 29 Oct 2010 04:51:47 +0000

Japan: A 70-year-old farmer grows high quality rice on a 7-hectare paddy in Chiba Prefecture that does not require cultivation as he uses plants developed like those in the wild. Compared with other rice fields in the area, Yoshihide Fujisaki’s paddy has many more living creatures, including loaches and frogs. Even birds that prey on them have come to settle on the field. download the pdf.

The Leonardo of limulus, a Salty Jackson Pollock with a Prehistoric Canvas

admin — Wed, 13 Oct 2010 03:13:05 +0000

Massachusetts: For five years, Greg Vaughan has liberated the shells and carcasses of dead horseshoe crabs from the sand and seaweed around Pleasant Bay. All in the name of arthropod art. download the pdf.

He Paints Horseshoe Crabs! YouTube

Biotech Firm Scores $600,000 Venture Capital Infusion

admin — Sat, 09 Oct 2010 03:56:09 +0000

Alabama: A Birmingham-based biotechnology firm has received a $600,000 venture capital boost to continue operations and hire at least one more worker. download the pdf.

New Progress on Horseshoe Crab Rearing 馬蹄蟹保育迎來新進展

admin — Mon, 04 Oct 2010 02:24:43 +0000

Hong Kong: It was a sunny morning when the Form 5 students from St Paul’s Secondary School started their journey to San Tau Village on Lantau Island. They were on a field trip during the summer vacation to study the ecological environment and characteristics of juvenile horseshoe crabs living in the wild. download the pdf.

Shorebird Researchers Document Red Knot’s Record-breaking Non-stop Flight and Total Migration Distance

admin — Fri, 24 Sep 2010 15:36:56 +0000

New Jersey: Using light-sensitive geolocators, shorebird researchers tracked and recorded the annual migration of Red Knots (Calidris canutus) from New Jersey (USA) to their Arctic breeding grounds and South American “wintering” grounds. One flew nearly 5,000 miles (8,000 kilometers) for six days, a record-breaking non-stop flight for this species; it also covered one of the longest recorded annual distances of any bird species: 16,600 miles (26,700 kilometers) in total. Download the pdf.

Horseshoe Crabs Thriving in Outer Cape Salt Pond

admin — Sat, 18 Sep 2010 23:00:27 +0000

Massachusetts: The ancient, delicate and crusty horseshoe crab, with ancestors older than dinosaurs, has decided to make a home on the shores of East Harbor, where federal protections can provide a refuge from humans. Evidence of the heavily armored crab, in the form of pale molted shells stuck in mud and reeds on the water’s edge, began appearing about two years ago in East Harbor and exploded to “thousands” last year, according to Cape Cod National Seashore plant ecologist Stephen Smith. download pdf.

Downe Township Becomes an ERDG Community Horseshoe Crab Sanctuary

admin — Sat, 04 Sep 2010 01:22:27 +0000

New Jersey: Downe Township is the first community in New Jersey to set aside a portion of its Delaware Bay shoreline for the celebration and recognition of the importance of this ancient mariner. download the pdf.