Dwindling Horseshoe Crab Populations Need More Attention
by Ben Waltz, 2022 NECWA Intern In the early parts of the Summer, when horseshoe crabs are most abundant, volunteers perform surveys to better understand how the horseshoe crab population is faring. New England Coastal Wildlife Alliance (NECWA) is one of the organizations that volunteers to take part in these surveys, organized by Mass Audubon. The data from these surveys is sent to the Massachusetts Division of Marine Fisheries (DMF) who then use this information to make decisions about the best conservation practices for horseshoe crabs. One of the perks of these surveys is that you get to be at the beach, enjoy the nice weather, and learn. When I took part in a survey, I got to see what goes on behind the scenes. One thing I learned quickly was that female horseshoe crabs tend to be much larger than males. Size alone isn’t enough to tell them apart which is why we need to flip them over and check their pincers. Male’s pedipalps have an appearance that looks like a boxing glove ...