More than a dozen conservation groups have petitioned the U.S. state of New Jersey to take action on the bleeding of horseshoe crabs by a biomedical company, claiming the practice injures the shellfish in violation of state law.
“On paper, New Jersey is one of the best state protectors of horseshoe crabs, but look under the hood and you’ll find it’s actually allowing a company to kill and injure horseshoe crabs in huge numbers,” Center for Biological Diversity (CBD) Senior Attorney Danny Waltz said in a release. “New Jersey must act quickly to fulfill the promise of its own laws and protect these highly imperiled animals and the endangered birds that depend on healthy crab populations.”
While horseshoe crabs are harvested for use as bait, their primary value is their blood, which is prized for its ability to clot during biomedical testing. Although synthetic alternatives remain, some companies continue to bleed the crabs.
New Jersey first banned harvesting in 2008 but allowed bleeding to continue as long as the crabs are returned unharmed to the waters they were taken from.
According to CBD, recently revealed reports show that Cape May County, New Jersey, U.S.A.-based biomedical company Limuli Laboratories has injured thousands of horseshoe crabs during its blood collection, with hundreds of individuals dying. The conservation group has petitioned the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection to investigate the company’s actions and determine whether it has violated state law.
More than a dozen conservation groups have signed the petition with CBD, including the New Jersey Audubon Society, New Jersey Conservation Foundation, Citizens United to Protect the Maurice River and Its Tributaries, League of Women Voters of New Jersey, Save Coastal Wildlife, American Bird Conservancy, Humane World for Animals, National Wildlife Federation, Delaware Riverkeeper Network, NY/NJ Baykeeper, Upstream Alliance, Delaware Audubon Society, Delaware Ornithological Society, Maryland Bird Conservation Partnership, Friends of the Bay, Professor Tim Cernak, Coastal Expeditions and the Coastal Expeditions Foundation, 100 Miles, and the Maritime Aquarium at Norwalk.
The petition comes after NOAA Fisheries denied a petition to list horseshoe crabs under the Endangered Species Act in February.
