Marine

Horseshoe Crab Biomedical Harvest and Welfare

Horseshoe crabs are harvested for their blue blood used in pharmaceutical safety testing, with welfare concerns from the bleeding process and mortality.

Key Facts

Horseshoe crab blood contains a compound (LAL) used to test pharmaceuticals for bacterial contamination
Around 500,000 horseshoe crabs are harvested annually in the US for biomedical bleeding
Mortality rates from the bleeding process range from 10-30% depending on conditions
A recombinant alternative to LAL exists and is approved for use in some jurisdictions

Welfare Considerations

The bleeding process involves stressful handling, temperature shock, and blood loss. Post-release mortality suggests the procedure causes significant physiological harm. The existence of a viable synthetic alternative makes continued large-scale horseshoe crab harvest increasingly difficult to justify.

What You Can Do

Support adoption of recombinant Factor C as an alternative to horseshoe crab LAL testing
Advocate for regulatory bodies to accept synthetic alternatives in pharmaceutical testing
Engage with pharmaceutical companies on their LAL sourcing policies