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Want to count crabs mating? It's for science
By JON WILSON
Published March 27, 2005
ST. PETERSBURG - It's a big weekend for horseshoe crabs, and state biologists are asking for public help in documenting it.
As part of a preservation project, Atlantic marine officials have asked coastal states such as Florida to identify the spawning beaches horseshoe crabs use.
The best time to spy mating crabs is right around high tide right before or just after a full moon, scientists say.
The moon filled out Friday, but there is a day or so remaining in the optimum crab-watching time frame.
If you miss it, April's full moon will bring an even more sharply defined spawning peak, said Susan Gerhart, a biologist with the Fish and Wildlife Research Institute in St. Petersburg.
"Our main focus is to identify spawning beaches, but we're interested in finding out everything that's going on with horseshoe crabs in the state," Gerhart said.
Horseshoe crabs, whose ancestors scientists believe lived 350-million years ago, are familiar to many beach and seawall walkers.
They carry an armor-like shell and might make a person think of a drawn-in turtle showing a long, sharp tail.
Spawning crabs are not difficult to identify. Check out http://research.myfwc.com/news/view_article.asp?id=24460
The survey, expected to continue every year for at least three more years, will offer scientists clues as to whether horseshoe crabs are being overharvested.
The animals aren't typically eaten, but in some regions, eel and conch fishermen use them for bait. They might also be collected to sell to the aquarium industry or for education and research reasons.
The crabs are important to humans for several reasons.
Their compound eyes can provide information about the human visual system, scientists say. Crab blood is used in the biomedical industry; a substance in it is used to test for bacterial contamination in human blood and commercial drugs. Material in a crab's shell is used in making contact lenses, skin creams and hair sprays.
Biologists ask that crab spotters document the time, date and location of sightings. There are three ways to send reports:
Fill out the online survey at http://research.myfwc.com/horseshoe_crab E-mail information to
[Last modified March 27, 2005, 00:34:19]
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