Maryland DNR faces lawsuit over horseshoe crab deaths. All to know

The Center for Biological Diversity filed suit Wednesday against the Maryland Department of Natural Resources over what they call "thousands" of horseshoe crab deaths.

The suit revolves around issues the group has with the department under the state’s Public Information Act for failing to release information detailing exactly how thousands of horseshoe crabs are killed, bled or injured by pharmaceutical companies and fishermen annually.

“It’s outrageous that a shared treasure like horseshoe crabs can be killed and injured at such high levels and that details of these slaughters are then hidden from the public. We’re wiping out one of the world’s oldest and toughest creatures through indifference and brutality," said William Snape, an attorney representing the organization.

According to the center, horseshoe crabs are threatened with extinction, but because "Maryland shrouds in secrecy the process it uses to determine when crabs can be harmed, the Center and other parties can’t meaningfully participate in protecting the imperiled animals"

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'Nearly 1 million' horseshoe crabs already harvested in Maryland

The lawsuit was filed in Circuit Court for Anne Arundel County, but biomedical companies harvest horseshoe crabs from the Eastern Shore as well and drain their blue blood, which is used to detect toxins in drugs and medical devices.

According to lawsuit data, horseshoe crab blood harvests have virtually doubled since 2017, with nearly 1 million horseshoe crabs harvested for their blood in Maryland in 2022. Synthetic alternatives to horseshoe crab blood tests are already being used in Europe, but companies in the United States have been slow to adopt the alternatives.

“Lesson one in saving wildlife is to make all take data available to the interested public,” Snape said. “By shielding huge corporate interests from accountability, the Department of Natural Resources is severely harming the horseshoe crab, Maryland’s shared beaches and the residents of Maryland.”

A 2021 horseshoe crab die-off in Ocean City, Maryland, resulted in thousands of horseshoe crabs clogging canals. The die-off was specific to horseshoe crabs: No other aquatic species were associated or observed with the horseshoe crab die-off.

Mass horseshoe crab mortality events were observed in Ocean City again in 2022 and 2023. Another horseshoe crab die-off was reported at Brigantine Beach, Maryland, in 2022.

Horseshoe crabs are brown, body-armored arthropods with 10 eyes and a long, spiked tail. Despite their intimidating appearance, they are completely harmless to humans. Each spring along the Atlantic coast, horseshoe crabs lay their eggs in massive beach spawning events.

Nearly twice as old as the dinosaurs, horseshoe crabs have been crawling ashore for more than 450 million years. In the past decades, however, horseshoe crab populations have declined steeply in all states, including Maryland.Several horseshoe crab mass mortality events have occurred along the Atlantic coast in recent years.

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Endangered species protection for horseshoe crabs

The Center petitioned the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service earlier this year to protect horseshoe crabs under the federal Endangered Species Act.

In February, a petition to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Fisheries to extend endangered species protection to horseshoe crabs gained traction, with a bevy of organizations now backing the plan. The Center for Biological Diversity, which was joined by 22 other environmental advocacy groups, claims horseshoe crab populations have steeply declined in recent decades due to overharvesting and habitat loss.

According to NOAA, petitioners will be required to notify each state wildlife agency in which the species occurs at least 30 days before submitting the petition. This change will provide states an opportunity to submit pertinent information on petitioned species.

Petitions will be limited to only one species per petition, but they may still address any members of a single species as defined by the Endangered Species Act, including the full species and one or more subspecies or varieties. For vertebrate species, this includes one or more distinct population segments.

After receiving the petition, NOAA will evaluate whether it presents substantial information that the petitioned action may be warranted. Within 90 days, to the maximum extent practicable, they publish the findings and their decision.

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This article originally appeared on Salisbury Daily Times: Horseshoe crab deaths focus of lawsuit vs. Maryland DNR. All to know.