KENDRAPARA: Four horseshoe crabs which were tagged on August 18 last year at Khandia Muhan estuary near Chandipur beach of Balasore district have been traced at Kasaphala, Talapada and Inchidi beach of the same district.
The detection of the tagged horseshoe crabs has proved that most of these marine species live in the sea near Balasore district, said Dr Basudev Tripathy, scientist and officer-in-charge of Zoological Survey of India (ZSI)’s western regional centre at Pune.
The journey of the tagged horseshoe crabs for the first time has unravelled their travel routes in the sea.
The Zoological Survey of India in collaboration with Forest department and Center for Research and Conservation of Indian Horseshoe crabs of Fakir Mohan university had carried out the tagging.
“For the first time in India, we fitted semi-metallic tags on the carapace of 12 horseshoe crabs last year. All the tags were marked with a serial number, mobile number and ZSI to track their migratory routes. We found two horseshoe crabs travelling around 30 km as both the marine species were captured on September 27,” Dr Tripathy said. Another tagged horseshoe crab was sighted at Talapada beach around 5 km from Khandia Muhan estuary.
“Unfortunately, we found a dead horseshoe crab entangled in the fishing net at Inchudi beach on September 18 last year around 10 km from Khandia Muhan estuary,” added Dr Tripathy.
Tagging is most often conducted to obtain information on reproductive biology, movement and growth rates. Tagging work to some extent helped in studying the horseshoe crab’s migratory route and areas of foraging, he added. Tagging data will prove the interconnections of horseshoe crab populations in Odisha coast.
India is home to two species of horseshoe crabs - Tachypleus gigas and Carcinoscorpius rotundicauda and both are found along the coast in Odisha and West Bengal.
ZSI is planning to propose to the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change to carry out advanced research through modern techniques using satellite telemetry to gather more information on the horseshoe crabs, Dr Tripathy said.
Horseshoe crabs have roamed the planet for over 450 million years, surviving mass extinctions and environmental changes that wiped out many other species.
In 2009, horseshoe crabs were enlisted as wild animals under schedule IV of Wildlife Protection Act, 1972. Subsequently in 2022, two species were listed in schedule two of the Act through an amendment, added Tripathy.