Horseshoe crabs are harvested for biomedical use and as bait, raising significant welfare and conservation concerns.
Horseshoe crabs experience the biomedical harvesting process — transport, immobilization and bleeding — as a significant physiological stressor. While they can survive, the process causes measurable harm and significant mortality. As keystone species for migratory shorebirds, their population health is directly connected to the welfare of millions of birds that depend on their eggs as fuel during migration.