Horseshoe crabs are harvested by the millions each year for their blood used in pharmaceutical safety testing, raising welfare concerns alongside serious conservation implications.
Horseshoe crabs subjected to the bleeding process are captured, transported, and subjected to cardiac puncture procedures before return to the ocean. While their capacity for suffering is uncertain given their phylogenetic distance from vertebrates, the mortality rate and physiological disruption of the process are documented. The availability of a synthetic alternative removes the welfare uncertainty while eliminating conservation impacts. Pharmaceutical industry transition to recombinant alternatives is a clear welfare and conservation win.