Save the Horseshoe Crabs

The horseshoe crab, a relic of our ancient planet's, past mat soon be gone forever. The horseshoe crab is endangered or extinct everywhere else in the world except for a range along the Canadian, US, and Mexican Atlantic coast. Besides being an integral if not unique part of the ecosystem the horseshoe crab also plays an important role in the food cycle. One particular bird, a type of sandpiper called a red knot, owes its very survival to horseshoe crabs. Its migratory route from Tierra del Fugeo to the Arctic Circle includes a stopover there that is timed to the horseshoe crabs annual spawning on Delaware's beaches. The birds gobble up horseshoe crab eggs which are high in fat and protein, more than doubling their body mass and giving them strength to continue their journey a few days later. However, this system is being upset as the horseshoe crabs population is rapidly declining. A study found that 53,000 birds were wintering in Tierra del Fuego in 2000, but by 2008 that had dropped to just 14,800. And one of the key reasons for their fall in numbers is the birds cannot harvest enough crab eggs for their annual migration. Scientist fear that this loss of bird population may have other more severe side effects on other ecosystems and wildlife. At this same time horseshoe crab numbers were also noted to be decreasing and less crabs appeared at each spawning period. Why all this decline; sadly the main cause is human harvesting of horseshoe crabs. The crabs are commercially harvested in the thousands for bait. The business has continued to grow and three million crabs were harvested in past seasons. This has caused a dramatic decrease in the crab populations and also destroyed aquatic ecosystems with dredging techniques for harvesting. Numbers have continued to decrease and pro-harvesting organizations have stopped or diluted all attempts to regulate or stop their industry. The crabs need our help. The time to act is now, show you voice and help protect the horseshoe crab from extinction. Together we can urge the US Congress to enact conservation laws and sever regulations (if not end) the horseshoe crab harvesting industry. Whatever the case we must act now before this timeless creature runs out of time.