We coordinate the horseshoe crab tagging program in cooperation with states, universities, and non-governmental organizations along the Atlantic Coast and Gulf of Mexico. Partners tag horseshoe crabs and send the information to us. Beachcombers, researchers, and commercial fishermen report found tags via our website. Tag information is used to help inform management of horseshoe crabs.

You can help by reporting any horseshoe crabs caught or found with our tag by clicking Horseshoe Crab Tag Form to report online. A certificate of participation containing tagging information is awarded to those who report our horseshoe crab tags.

Background

Until the 1990's, the harvest of horseshoe crabs was regulated by individual states. In 1998, an Interstate Fisheries Management Plan was adopted by the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission. A decline in the horseshoe crab population could severely impact migrating shorebird populations that depend on the eggs for survival.

Horseshoe crabs are harvested commercially as bait to catch whelk (conch), American eels and sometimes catfish. Pharmaceutical companies also harvest horseshoe crabs to extract their blue, copper-based blood which contains a chemical substance, hemocyanin, which clots when exposed to bacteria. The blood is used to test drugs and medical equipment for the presence of harmful bacteria.

The tagging program provides data on distribution, movement, longevity, and mortality of horseshoe crabs. Data are used to inform management decisions about harvest rates. Coast-wide management of horseshoe crabs is essential to maintain healthy populations to benefit shorebirds, the biomedical industry and the commercial fishing industry.

Contact Information

Species

Programs

Juvenile Northern Pike in aquarium at Gavins Point National Fish Hatchery, South Dakota
The Fish and Aquatic Conservation program leads aquatic conservation efforts for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. We are committed to tackling the nation’s highest priority aquatic conservation and recreational challenges to conserve, restore, and enhance fisheries for future generations.
Program
Falls Church,VA

Facilities

Sunrise on the shore of Blackbeard Island National Wildlife Refuge
Blackbeard Island National Wildlife Refuge
As one of Georgia's barrier islands, Blackbeard Island National Wildlife Refuge provides protection to the coastline and habitat for a diversity of wildlife, including summertime nesting sea turtles, and year-round shorebird activity.
National Wildlife Refuge
Hardeeville,SC
Biologists holds an adult American Shad over a tank of water.
Maryland Fish and Wildlife Conservation Office
The Maryland Fish and Wildlife Conservation Office works to restore migratory fish and other aquatic species, and their habitats in the waterways of Maryland and surrounding states. We work in the Chesapeake Bay watershed, coastal waters of Maryland and Delaware, and other freshwater streams of the...
Conservation Office
Annapolis,MD
A beach peninsula on an overcast day, with dozens of fishermen in the water.
Cape May National Wildlife Refuge
Welcome! Cape May NWR is located throughout the tip of South New Jersey and along the Atlantic Flyway. Encompassing pristine beach, bayshore, saltmarsh, and upland forest habitats it is world famous for its spectacular migratory bird populations as well as become a crucial area for the...
National Wildlife Refuge
Cape May Court House,NJ
Shorebirds in shallow water with meadow and lighthouse in the background.
Monomoy National Wildlife Refuge
Monomoy National Wildlife Refuge is one of the eight refuges that comprise the Eastern Massachusetts National Wildlife Refuge Complex. This refuge protects habitats critical to the survival of migratory birds, horseshoe crabs, tiger beetles, gray seals, and other wildlife. Monomoy NWR also includes...
National Wildlife Refuge
Chatham,MA