The American Horseshoe Crab is a unique and valuable marine
invertebrate. It provides both ecological and economic benefits
to Maryland and other coastal states of the mid-Atlantic region.
Since the 1990's, concern over the exploitation of this
important species has been expressed by government agencies,
conservation organizations and fisheries interests. Currently,
various user groups throughout the region use horseshoe crabs.
Watermen harvest the crabs as bait to catch several commercial
fish species including eel (Anguilla rostrada) and whelk
(Busycon spp.). The biomedical industry uses a protein in the
crab's blood to test the safety of other medical products. In
addition to these economic benefits, horseshoe crabs play an
important role the coastal ecology in the Mid-Atlantic region.
Horseshoe crab populations occupy an important ecological niche
in coastal habitats along the Mid-Atlantic coast. Adult
horseshoe crabs are food for sea turtles, sharks and terrestrial
species such as raccoons and foxes. The