It’s that time of year again when the state starts looking for coastal residents to help them monitor horseshoe crab mating activities around the state.
Horseshoe crabs have been around for nearly 450 million years and are an important part of the marine ecosystem.
The number of Horseshoe crabs in Florida, however, has declined substantially in recent years
Biologists believe that destruction of the crabs mating areas and overfishing have led to the decline.
And with fewer horseshoe crabs on the coast, biologists are also seeing a drop in the number of shorebirds that rely on horseshoe crab eggs as a primary food source.
Horseshoe crabs are important to humans as well.
Horseshoe crab blood is used to make sure that intravenous drugs and vaccine injections are bacteria-free.
Also, research into horseshoe crab eyes has given scientists a greater knowledge of the functioning of human eyes.
A number of years ago the Florida Marine Research Institute started a statewide survey for nesting beaches where horseshoe crabs mate.
Every year they are ask members of the public to help with the survey by reporting any horseshoe crab nesting activities they happen to witness.
The best time to find horseshoe crabs spawning is around a high tide right before or just after a full moon.
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