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Lawsuit to protect horseshoe crabs
FOX 13's Kimberly Kuizon reports.
GAINESVILLE, Fla. - The American Horseshoe Crab is about as close as you can get to a creature that shared the Earth with dinosaurs, but the Center for Biological Diversity said the marine animals are in trouble.
They're suing for the American Horseshoe Crab to be protected under the Endangered Species Act. Conservationists are asking for it to be done before it's too late.
Big picture view:
You can call them a living fossil. For nearly half a billion years, the American Horseshoe Crab has called Earth home, even before Florida was formed.
Courtesy: FWC
"They're really important ecologically. They’re a key part of the food web," said Savanna Barry, the regional specialized extension agent for the University of Florida.
Their eggs help feed the endangered Red Knot shorebird as it migrates from South America to the Arctic. The blood of horseshoe crabs is used for drug safety testing.
"Things like saline solution or vaccines, are all tested with this horseshoe crab blood extract to ensure safety," said Barry.
The Florida Horseshoe Crab Watch works with the public to tag and count each horseshoe crab.
"Unfortunately, in Florida, we don’t have a great handle on if populations are going up, down or remaining stable," said Barry.
The backstory:
The Center of Biological Diversity said a sea level rise in their breeding grounds has threatened the species and over-harvesting is causing numbers to plummet.
"We have seen horseshoe populations crash since 2000. For the past 25 years, horseshoe crab populations have plummeted by more than 70% across their entire range from Maine to Louisiana," said Will Harlan, the southeast director of the Center of Biological Diversity.
The Center of Biological Diversity and two dozen other groups, including Healthy Gulf, The Humane Society of the United States and Save Coastal Wildlife petitioned for the American Horseshoe Crab to be listed in the endangered species act in February 2024.
Courtesy: UF/IFAS
"By law, the agencies are supposed to make a preliminary decision in 90 days. It’s been 19 months, and horseshoe crabs can’t wait any longer," said Harlan.
What's next:
The Center for Biological Diversity has sued the National Marine Fisheries Service for failing to make a preliminary decision. They hope their steps will spur action.
"We humans depend on horseshoe crabs too. Their blood has saved countless human lives, and now we can return the favor, we can save horseshoe crabs right now by listing them on the endangered species act," said Harlan.
What you can do:
You can report horseshoe crab sightings on the FWC and the Florida Horseshoe Crab Watch websites.
The Source: Information was gathered by Fox 13's Kimberly Kuizon through the Center for Biological Diversity and The Florida Horseshoe Crab Watch.