The Coalition for Buzzards Bay to Host Lecture on Horseshoe Crab Conservation

March 10, 2004

CONTACT:

Michelle Frey, Communications and Outreach Coordinator

The Coalition for Buzzards Bay

508-999-6363, ext. 208

NEW BEDFORD, MA—The Coalition for Buzzards Bay will host a lecture on horseshoe crab conservation this Thursday, March 11, 2004 at 7 pm at the Briarwood Center in Pocasset.

Living in the waters of Buzzards Bay and along Cape Cod is a prehistoric creature with medical, economic and environmental importance. Medically, horseshoe crab blood is used to test the purity of every injectable drug, vaccine and antibiotic that we use. By testing vaccines with horseshoe crab blood, doctors and scientists can determine if it is safe for human use. Horseshoe crabs are also used as bait in the conch fishery and their eggs provide a critical food source for migrating birds. With all these uses and diminishing habitat for spawning, it is no wonder that horse crab populations are in decline.

Mick Dawson will describe the biology of horseshoe crabs and how they are used for medical purposes. Dan Gibson will talk about horseshoe crab populations and the life cycle of this amazing animal. Brenda Boleyn will share concerns regarding population declines, the difficulty of getting good field data, and conservation efforts in other states. Fisheries managers with the Massachusetts Division of Marine Fisheries will discuss the importance of horseshoe crabs as bait for fishermen and efforts underway to sustainably manage harvests.

This is the first of five lectures in this year’s Buzzards Bay Lecture Series. On March 25 scientists will gather to discuss oil spill prevention at Tabor Academy, The Coalition for Buzzards Bay’s annual meeting and keynote address by Harriet Tregoning on Smart Growth will take place on April 13 at the New Bedford Whaling Museum, on April 20 at the New Bedford Public Library’s main branch there will be a benefits of wind energy presentation, and the series will conclude with author George Colt discussing his book The Big House: A Century in the Life of an American Summer Home on May 27, 2004 at the Millicent Library in Fairhaven.

All lectures are open to the public. Admission is $3 per lecture for non-members and free for members of The Coalition for Buzzards Bay.  Refreshments will be served at all presentations. Please call The Coalition for Buzzards Bay, 508-999-6363, for directions and other information or visit www.savebuzzardsbay.org.

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The Coalition for Buzzards Bay is a private, non-profit membership organization dedicated to the protection, restoration, and sustainable use of Buzzards Bay and its watershed. The organization works to improve the health of the Bay ecosystem for all through education, conservation, research and advocacy and is supported by more than 4,700 members.