Horseshoe Crab Harvesting, Regulations, And Updates

          According to the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission, in 2021 about 742,000 horseshoe crabs were harvested for biomedical companies alone. The majority of these horseshoe crabs are able to be released after they are bled by the biomedical companies, but there is a 10-30% mortality rate during this procedure. (Dellinger, A. et al. 2018.) There are also risks of more deaths during the collection and redistribution of this species to the ocean. 

          Regulations have been put in place to help protect horseshoe crabs since they’re still widely used by biomedical companies. The Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission published an article in 1998 that stated three main regulations. States must issue licenses or specific authorizations to companies for harvesting horseshoe crabs for biomedical purposes, horseshoe crabs harvested for biomedical purposes must be returned to the same state/waters they were taken from, and states must record the number of horseshoe crabs collected for biomedical purposes as well as their mortality rates. 

          Considering the concern about their population, a call for finding an alternative to crab’s blood has been prominent. There has been a creation of an alternative for the crab’s blood used in the LAL test known as recombinant factor C (rFC). It is able to detect endotoxins just like crab’s blood. It has not been used on a widespread basis yet in the United States. 

          Many have wondered how ethical it is for biomedical companies to continue to use horseshoe crabs for the LAL test. Horseshoe crabs are not able to consent to being used for medical purposes. Considering that their population is being affected by the biomedical usage, why haven’t medical companies switched over to the rFC? How are the regulations put in place truly helping, or not helping, protect this population? 

Sources: 

          Benjie Swan, Brett Hoffmeister, Caitlin Starks, Daniel Sasson, Derek Perry, Katie Rodrigue, Nora Blair, Samantha MacQuesten, & Steve Doctor. (2023). Best Management Practices for handling horseshoe crabs for biomedical purposes. Sustainable and Cooperative Management of Atlantic                Coastal Fisheries. https://asmfc.org/uploads/file/645bf065HSC_Biomedical_BMPs_2023.pdf

          Bolden, J. S., & Smith, K. R. (2017). Application of recombinant factor C reagent for the detection of bacterial endotoxins in pharmaceutical products. Pda Journal of Pharmaceutical Science and Technology, 71(5), 405–412. https://doi.org/10.5731/pdajpst.2017.007849

          Dellinger, A., & Kepley, C. L. (2018). The role of horseshoe crabs in the biomedical industry and recent trends impacting species sustainability. Frontiers in Marine Science, 5. https://doi.org/10.3389/fmars.2018.00185

          SCDNR - Horseshoe Crabs. (n.d.). https://www.dnr.sc.gov/marine/pub/seascience/horseshoecrab.html

          Species - Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission. (n.d.). https://www.asmfc.org/species/horseshoe-crab#:~:text=Reported%20coastwide%20bait%20landings%20in,million%20crabs