In Crab Wars: A Tale of Horseshoe Crabs, Ecology, and Human Health, William Sargent exposes the exploitation of the horseshoe crab, whose valuable blood — essential for vaccine testing — has made the species the target of multinational pharmaceutical conglomerates, local fishing interests, and government regulators.
But hope for the horseshoe crab is not lost! This year, The Boston Globe reported, “[Massachusetts] will ban the collecting of horseshoe crabs during the animal’s mating season.” Capturing, bleeding, and releasing horseshoe crabs results kills hundreds of thousands of crabs each year, and even more are captured for bait.
Read Crab Wars to learn more about the ecological and scientific significance of our ten-legged friends. And remember — when you see a crab on a beach, leave it be!
Crab Wars: A Tale of Horseshoe Crabs, Ecology, and Human Health
William Sargent
“Here’s a species older than time, a species key to the great migrations transecting our planet—and in the space of a few years our short-term interests have brought it close to ruin. It’s a powerful metaphor (one wishes it were only a metaphor) and its tale is told with enormous care and balance. And with just the faintest hint of optimism at the end.”
Bill McKibben
