New Rules Aim to Protect Valuable Horseshoe Crabs
2023-08-06
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1New rules aim to protect horseshoe crabs, which are used in medical research, and also to support an endangered bird species.
2Blue blood from horseshoe crabs is used by researchers to test for dangerous substances in vaccines, medicines and medical devices.
3The animals are also used by fisherman as bait to catch eels and sea snails.
4In addition, the eggs of horseshoe crabs are an important food for an endangered bird called the red knot.
5Scientists say horseshoe crabs have been living in ocean environments for more than 400 million years.
6But they are different from other crabs.
7They are more closely related to spiders and scorpions.
8The animals have been decreasing in numbers in areas they live in, called habitats, along the U.S. East Coast.
9The blue blood is taken from the animals for medical research.
10The process returns the crabs to the environment.
11But many die from the blood harvesting process.
12Blood from the crabs can be manufactured into limulus amebocyte lysate, or LAL, a substance used to identify dangerous substances in some medications and vaccines.
13Fishermen collect the crabs by hand or with special equipment on boats for use by biomedical companies.
14The blood - which contains immune cells sensitive to bacteria - is then separated and proteins are processed.
15It takes many crabs to produce enough blood to fill a single glass tube, which contains cells that are sensitive to bacteria.
16New guidelines for dealing with horseshoe crabs were approved in May by the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission.
17Industry officials said those changes should keep more crabs alive.
18But, in recent years, environmentalists brought attention to the issue of the horseshoe crabs, including their relationship to the red knot.
19Red knots are birds that travel about 30,500 kilometers back and forth from South America to Canada.
20During their long trip, the birds must stop to eat along the way and horseshoe crabs are an important food.
21Bethany Kraft is a coastal conservation specialist with the environmental organization the Audubon Society.
22Kraft told The Associated Press (AP) that red knots need horseshoe crab eggs to give them enough fuel to complete their long flights.
23"There's very clear linkage between horseshoe crabs and the survival of the red knot in the coming decades," she added.
24Kraft said horseshoe crabs currently need stronger protection to survive.
25She and other wildlife conservationists have noted the new guidelines are currently only voluntary.
26This, they say, still leaves the red knot at risk.
27They say the bird needs stronger legal protection.
28The new guidelines urge best practices for the biomedical industry's harvesting and processing of the crabs.
29They include measures aimed at limiting exposure to sunlight and keeping crabs cool and wet.
30Caitlin Starks is a fishery specialist with the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission.
31She told the AP the goal of the guidelines "is to give the crabs that are bled a better chance of surviving."
32That is exactly what the new guidelines will do, said Nora Blair, an operations official with Charles River Laboratories.
33The company manufactures LAL from horseshoe crab blood.
34Blair was a member of a working group that created the new guidelines along with other industry groups.
35Blair said the industry is working to find synthetic materials that could be used for biomedical research.
36Conservationists have been pushing for years for such a solution.
37Lonza, a Switzerland-based company that manufactures LAL, offers an animal-free testing solution.
38But Blair said that, for now, the wild harvest of horseshoe crabs remains extremely important for drug safety.
39The animals play an important part in supplying and testing drugs and the coastal environment makes their conservation "imperative," she added.
40I'm Bryan Lynn.
1New rules aim to protect horseshoe crabs, which are used in medical research, and also to support an endangered bird species. 2Blue blood from horseshoe crabs is used by researchers to test for dangerous substances in vaccines, medicines and medical devices. The animals are also used by fisherman as bait to catch eels and sea snails. 3In addition, the eggs of horseshoe crabs are an important food for an endangered bird called the red knot. 4Scientists say horseshoe crabs have been living in ocean environments for more than 400 million years. But they are different from other crabs. They are more closely related to spiders and scorpions. The animals have been decreasing in numbers in areas they live in, called habitats, along the U.S. East Coast. 5The blue blood is taken from the animals for medical research. The process returns the crabs to the environment. But many die from the blood harvesting process. 6Blood from the crabs can be manufactured into limulus amebocyte lysate, or LAL, a substance used to identify dangerous substances in some medications and vaccines. 7Fishermen collect the crabs by hand or with special equipment on boats for use by biomedical companies. The blood - which contains immune cells sensitive to bacteria - is then separated and proteins are processed. It takes many crabs to produce enough blood to fill a single glass tube, which contains cells that are sensitive to bacteria. 8New guidelines for dealing with horseshoe crabs were approved in May by the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission. Industry officials said those changes should keep more crabs alive. But, in recent years, environmentalists brought attention to the issue of the horseshoe crabs, including their relationship to the red knot. 9Red knots are birds that travel about 30,500 kilometers back and forth from South America to Canada. During their long trip, the birds must stop to eat along the way and horseshoe crabs are an important food. 10Bethany Kraft is a coastal conservation specialist with the environmental organization the Audubon Society. Kraft told The Associated Press (AP) that red knots need horseshoe crab eggs to give them enough fuel to complete their long flights. "There's very clear linkage between horseshoe crabs and the survival of the red knot in the coming decades," she added. 11Kraft said horseshoe crabs currently need stronger protection to survive. She and other wildlife conservationists have noted the new guidelines are currently only voluntary. This, they say, still leaves the red knot at risk. They say the bird needs stronger legal protection. 12The new guidelines urge best practices for the biomedical industry's harvesting and processing of the crabs. They include measures aimed at limiting exposure to sunlight and keeping crabs cool and wet. 13Caitlin Starks is a fishery specialist with the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission. She told the AP the goal of the guidelines "is to give the crabs that are bled a better chance of surviving." 14That is exactly what the new guidelines will do, said Nora Blair, an operations official with Charles River Laboratories. The company manufactures LAL from horseshoe crab blood. Blair was a member of a working group that created the new guidelines along with other industry groups. 15Blair said the industry is working to find synthetic materials that could be used for biomedical research. Conservationists have been pushing for years for such a solution. Lonza, a Switzerland-based company that manufactures LAL, offers an animal-free testing solution. 16But Blair said that, for now, the wild harvest of horseshoe crabs remains extremely important for drug safety. The animals play an important part in supplying and testing drugs and the coastal environment makes their conservation "imperative," she added. 17I'm Bryan Lynn. 18The Associated Press reported this story. Bryan Lynn adapted the report for VOA Learning English. 19_____________________________________________ 20Words in This Story 21species - n. a group of animals or plants that are similar and can produce young animals or plants 22bait -n. a piece of foot that is used to catch fish or other animals 23conservation - n. an organized effort that aims to protect animals, and natural resources 24decade - n. a period of ten years 25expose - v. to remove what is covering something so that it can be seen 26synthetic - adj. a group of products made from artificial substances, often copying a natural product 27imperative - adj. extremely important or necessary 28_________________________________________________ 29What do you think of this story? We want to hear from you. We have a new comment system. Here is how it works: 30Each time you reurn to comment on the Learning English site, you can use your account and see your comments and replies to them. Our comment policy is here.