Horseshoe crabs

[Bobbym]

I was just watching the news and they were blaming horseshoe crab shortage on fisherman harvesting them and cutting them up for bait is this a thing I have never heard of using them for bait and for what fish

 

[Roccus7]

I was just watching the news and they were blaming horseshoe crab shortage on fisherman harvesting them and cutting them up for bait is this a thing I have never heard of using them for bait and for what fish

Premier bait in eel traps...

 

[flounderbound]

main bait for catching conch,the latest Asian demand

 

[jpd]

I was just watching the news and they were blaming horseshoe crab shortage on fisherman harvesting them and cutting them up for bait is this a thing I have never heard of using them for bait and for what fish

Watched the same thing on Eyewitness News, I was surprised as well.

 

[Leprechaun]

Yes, old story. If I recall correctly, this is a highly regulated “fishery.”

 

[BoatGuy]

I saw a guy coming into dock. His boat was full if horseshoe crabs. He said they had medical uses

 

[Roccus7]

I saw a guy coming into dock. His boat was full if horseshoe crabs. He said they had medical uses

Yup, the LAL Test is a constant in vaccine manufacture...

As well as being incredible 'living fossils', they have also helped to keep most of us alive. If you have ever had a vaccine, chances are that it was tested for safety using horseshoe crab blood. And they're about to save even more lives, because they're playing their part in the creation of a Covid-19 injection.

Horseshoe crab blood is a bright shade of blue, as well as having remarkable antibacterial properties that have proved invaluable to the medical industry. Image via Business Insider.

What is horseshoe crab blood used for?​

Horseshoe crab blood is bright blue. It contains important immune cells that are exceptionally sensitive to toxic bacteria. When those cells meet invading bacteria, they clot around it and protect the rest of the horseshoe crab's body from toxins.

Scientists used these clever blood cells to develop a test called Limulus Amebocyte Lysate, or LAL, which checks new vaccines for contamination. This technique has been used all over the world since the 1970s to stop medical professionals giving out jabs full of bad bacteria that could make humans very sick.

It's great for humans, because vaccines save us from all sorts of unwanted diseases, including measles and mumps. It's not so great for the horseshoe crabs: thousands of them are rounded up and bled every year.

 

[jpd]

The news report mentioned that synthetic blue blood is available, but the companies prefer to use the horseshoe crab blood.

Probably cheaper.

 

[Occh639]

I saw a guy coming into dock. His boat was full if horseshoe crabs. He said they had medical uses

I’ve seen them transporting by the truck load . I was told their blood is extracted for cancer research.

 

[Roccus7]

I’ve seen them transporting by the truck load . I was told their blood is extracted for cancer research.

Read up two posts for what they're used for...

 

[Occh639]

Read up two posts for what they're used for...

I didn’t see it, Thanks

 

[jpd]

Finally something of value

‘They were here before the dinosaurs': Horseshoe crabs get new protections thanks to valuable blue blood

The biomedical industry is adopting new standards to protect horseshoe crabs because they are a linchpin in the production of vital medicines.

www.nbcnewyork.com