PARENT SESSION
Oral Session # 23: Marine Ecology I: Crabs, Coral, and Lobsters.
Presiding: J Wilson
Tuesday, August 5. 8:00 AM to 11:30 AM, SITCC Meeting Room 202.
Movement patterns and population dynamics of the American horseshoe crab, Limulus polyphemus.
Grogan, Whitney*,1, Walls, Elizabeth2, Berkson, Jim1, 1 Department of Fisheries and Wildlife Science, Blacksburg, VA2 Center for Environmental Studies, Richmond, VA
ABSTRACT- The American horseshoe crab is a multiple-use resource with both ecological and economic value. The horseshoe crab acts as an important food resource for shorebirds, bait source for eel and conch fisheries, and the only source of Limulus Amoebocyte Lysate (LAL) for the biomedical industry. Horseshoe crabs require 10 years to reach sexual maturity, therefore overexploitation of the population could have severe consequences. The development of a management plan has been difficult due to lack of information regarding the status of the horseshoe crab population. We are conducting a tagging study to investigate the movement range of the horseshoe crab. Preliminary results indicate that horseshoe crabs can move as far as 195 miles over the course of 2 years. In another study, we are examining the demography of the catch of horseshoe crabs by location. Results show dramatic differences in age structure between locations. This information, together with the existing literature, provides an increased understanding of the ecology of the horseshoe crab species. In addition, information gathered from these studies will be useful in the development or modification of strategies to effectively manage the horseshoe crab population.
Key words: Limulus polyphemus , horseshoe crab, demography, tagging