KENDRAPARA: For the first time in Odisha, the Zoological Survey of India (ZSI) will tag horseshoe crabs to track their movement for research and conservation purposes.
In collaboration with the Odisha Forest department and Fakir Mohan University, Balasore, ZSI will fit metallic flipper tags on around 15 horseshoe crabs at Balaramgadi beach in Balasore district on August 18.
According to wildlife biologist and officer-in-charge of ZSI’s western regional centre in Pune, Basudev Tripathy, the tags will help track the migratory routes of marine species. “Horseshoe crabs are known to migrate thousands of kilometres between their nesting beaches and feeding grounds throughout the world. The tagging will help researchers study their migratory routes and foraging areas,” Dr Tripathy said.
Odisha is home to a significant population of horseshoe crabs, with the highest density recorded at Balaramgari, Chandipur and Hukitola beaches. Horseshoe crabs are one of the oldest living creatures on earth and possess invaluable medicinal properties. The crabs’ blood contains a chemical that makes it clot in the presence of bacteria, making it valuable for biomedical companies worldwide. “Lysate extracted from the horseshoe crabs is effective against many diseases. Therefore it has a huge demand worldwide,” said Tripathy.
However, the horseshoe crab population is threatened by unregulated fishing activities, habitat destruction and lack of awareness among local fishermen about the species’ economic importance.
The species was included in Schedule IV of the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972 on September 9, 2009, making catching and killing an offense.
Local fishermen are unaware of the species’ significant economic importance, often discard them on the shore after they get trapped in fishing nets, leading to high mortality rates. Furthermore, the degradation and destruction of the crabs’ breeding grounds due to natural and human-induced activities have resulted in a drastic decline in their population along the Odisha coast, added Tripathy.