Maritime Aquarium Seeks Volunteers To Tag Horseshoe Crabs

NORWALK, Conn. – The Maritime Aquarium at Norwalk is looking for volunteers to help its researchers with a project to tag horseshoe crabs in Long Island Sound.

The Maritime Aquarium at Norwalk is looking for volunteers to help with a project to tag horseshoe crabs in Long Island Sound.
Photo Credit: *Flickr user edenpictures*

by Alfred Branch

04/30/2013 5:00 a.m.

Volunteers must be of 10th grade age or older and must attend a training session on either May 8 or May 12 at 7 p.m.

The project is led by Dr. Jennifer Mattei of Sacred Heart University in Fairfield, and it calls for affixing of census tags to horseshoe crabs. The census will establish “a baseline crab population and will reveal horseshoe crab migrations and any changes in numbers or behaviors,” according to the aquarium.

Horseshoe crab eggs are an important food source for migrating shorebirds, so the researchers must track the movements of the crabs to learn of any declines in that population. With fewer horseshoe crabs there are fewer eggs, and therefore the potential for fewer shorebirds in the area.

The crabs beach on nights with full or new moons; the trained taggers will participate in tagging sessions at Calf Pasture Beach on selected mornings and evenings in late May and June.

For more information, or to sign up for a training session and tagging effort, call the Maritime Aquarium at 203-852-0700 Ext. 2352, or email jschnierlein@maritimeaquarium.org.

Click here to follow Daily Voice Darien and receive free news updates.