New study finds Long Island Sound horseshoe crabs in ‘severe decline’

The Long Island Sound region’s horseshoe crab population has been in “severe decline” over the last two decades, according to a newly released study.

Courtesy of Maritime Aquarium

The 450-million-year-old species plays an important role in the ecosystem. Their eggs are a major food source for migratory shore birds. Many of the crabs will die naturally after spawning, and fish, sea turtles, and other scavengers on the ocean floor eat their carcasses.

The journal Nature examined six data sets across both sides of the Sound and in the middle of the water. It found declines averaging between about three and nine percent each year over 20 years. Researchers attribute this to habitat loss — beach erosion, overdevelopment along the shoreline, and overharvesting.

There have been efforts to b