Statement of Purpose

The goal of the Horseshoe Crab Conservation Association is to ensure long-term sustainable populations of horseshoe crabs in the coastal estuaries and embayments of Massachusetts.

To accomplish this goal, the Association pursues several approaches for horseshoe crab protection. These include sponsorship of activities and actions in the following areas:

• Education about the role of horseshoe crabs in the state’s coastal ecosystems, especially the importance of their eggs to the nourishment of migrating shorebirds.
• Stewardship of the habitat necessary to horseshoe crabs: breeding beaches, protected nursery grounds and foraging areas.
• Education about the global importance of horseshoe crabs to biomedical procedures and medical research.
• Support for field studies of horseshoe crabs and their habitats along Massachusetts coastal waters.
• Advocacy for new regulations or legislation to strengthen government actions for horseshoe crab conservation.

The Association believes that because of the species’ extreme vulnerability during its spawning season, increased regulatory attention and broadened public education will be required to sustain the population of this animal in Massachusetts.