My research updates aquaculture procedures for Limulus polyphemus (the Atlantic horseshoe crab) by changing temperature conditions to influence their growth and survivorship. L. polyphemus live along the eastern coast of the United States from Maine to the Yucatan peninsula. Horseshoe crabs have blue blood that produces LAL, Limulus Amoebocyte Lysate, which is used to detect endotoxins in products like vaccines and other injectables. Furthermore, horseshoe crab eggs provide a vital food source to migratory birds, like the Red Knot, during their stopover locations in the summer. However, the IUCN lists horseshoe crabs as vulnerable due to climate change and being harvested by commercial fisheries and the biomedical industry. In Japan, Taiwan, and China, there are examples of “reintroduction programs” for the other species of horseshoe crab which involve raising horseshoe crabs for a short period of time before releasing them into the wild at a larger size that is more likely to survive. My research aims to create a reintroduction program applicable to the United States. My research project adjusts ideal temperature conditions to optimize horseshoe crab growth over a six-month time period. My experiment raises horseshoe crabs at three different temperature conditions in an aquaculture facility using commonly accessible equipment to assess their growth and mortality over a six-month period. In the first year of the experiment, it was found that higher temperatures result in a faster molting rate but a lower survival rate.
Furthermore, I am partnered with the Maryland Department of Natural Resources for a program called, “Horseshoe Crabs in the Classroom” where we work with elementary, middle, and high school public teachers across the state of Maryland to raise horseshoe crabs in their respective schools. This program creates hands-on scientific opportunities with marine life and introduces students to education surrounding horseshoe crabs and their environmental/economic impacts. This program is restarting after its pause during the pandemic and is being redesigned to increase horseshoe crab survival and including more engagement aspects for the students. We redesigned the horseshoe crab aquaculture setups for school settings and created experiments that can be done at the various educational levels. This program has expanded from five schools in the 2023-2024 school year to ten schools in the 2024-2025 school year. In the coming years, we hope to add more schools from different counties in Maryland to create a more diverse set of schools and students.