Salem Sound Coastwatch is starting a local initiative on the Horseshoe Crab, a species that is under threat here and across the world. Horseshoe crabs are considered the “living fossils” of our time, surviving five mass extinctions. Today, they continue to serve an important role, both ecologically and economically, as their eggs provide food for endangered shorebirds and their blue blood is used to advance biomedical research. Though they’ve endured these catastrophic events throughout Earth’s history, their population is in decline.
The Horseshoe Crab initiative will include three parts this spring and summer. First, Salem Sound Coastwatch we offered public education about the species with a free lecture on April 19. Second, community volunteers will be invited to participate in a local population survey of the Horseshoe Crab starting in April. And lastly, Salem Sound Coastwatch will recognize the importance of this species on International Horseshoe Crab Day on June 20.
On April 19, Associate Director Alison Frye will present “Horseshoe Crabs: An Ancient Species in a Modern World” as part of the “Underwater in Salem Sound Lecture Series.” Recordings of Underwater in Salem Sound lectures can be found on the Resources page.
We are holding two survey training sessions for the Horseshoe Crab Survey announced on April 19. The first is on April 28 at 10 AM, and the second is on May 3 at 5:30 PM. There is also a concurrent iNaturalist training for the City Nature Challenge at the April 28 session. Please join us for these trainings and email info@salemsound.org to register!
Go to arcg.is/0rqH5f to take the Horseshoe Crab Survey!