This year was a good year for horseshoe crabs. The weather was cooperative and the restrictions on horseshoe crab harvesting on the east coast the past few years has helped the repopulation of the species.
This is why you are seeing more horseshoe crabs stranded on the beach than in previous years. Most do not wash up on the beach, but come ashore to spawn and the waves turn them over stranding them on the beach making them vulnerable to predators. (shore birds, raccoons etc.)
It seems that the horseshoe crab conservation efforts are starting to show signs of working. It’s still a little early in the migration to be definitive, but it’s looks good so far. Read “red knots gaining weight in 2009″
This year the horseshoe crab population has shown signs of improved numbers and the red knots that depend on their eggs to give them the energy to complete their journey to their breading grounds in the Artic are getting enought eggs to bring them up to optimum weight.
This is a story that makes me mad and yet fills me with hope.
The Johor Straits Singapore is one of the homes of the Carcinoscorpius rotundicauda species of horseshoe crabs that inhabit that part of the world.
Carcinoscorpius Rotundicauda are horseshoe crabs that can be found in the indo/west pacific waters and are getting dangerously close to extinction.
The part that makes me mad is that fishermen are using mono-filament nets on these shores and are leaving them unmanned. The horseshoe crabs and other wildlife get caught in the nets and when the tide goes out are stranded on land where the heat quickly kills them.
Scientists in the New Jersey area are underway with their yearly census of the the red knot migratory birds and the horseshoe crabs that they depend on for life.
Scientist capture and tag many red knots and other shore birds to help keep an eye on how well the birds are doing. The last decade has been challenging to these birds due to the reduction of the horseshoe crab population along the New Jersey beaches.
The preliminary results coming in seem to indicate that the horseshoe crab population is rebounding from the over harvesting and the red knots are getting enough horseshoe crab eggs to fatten up for their continued journey to their breeding grounds.
horseshoe crabs coming to shore to spawn
This is the time of year when the weather gets nice and love is in the air in Delaware. At least for the horseshoe crabs.
From now until about the middle of June the Delaware bay area beaches will be covered with horseshoe crabs as they come to spawn as they have done for thousands of years.
Delaware bay area beaches have more horseshoe crabs by far then any other place on the east coast. The horseshoe crabs love Delaware’s quiet protected beaches to lay their eggs by the millions.
Although the horseshoe crab is not on the endangered species list, maybe it should be. Their rapid decline in numbers has brought a number of other animals dependent on them for food dangerously close to extinction.
There are many animals that would probably not survive if horseshoe crab populations continue to decline.
The red knot, which has been getting a lot of attention in recent years depend on horseshoe crab eggs in the Delaware Bay area to fatten up so that they can complete their 9,300 mile migration From the tip of southern South America to their Arctic breeding grounds and still have enough energy to still nest when they get there.