Thousands of reports from the public provide information about horseshoe crab mating activities on Florida beaches.
The FWC Fish and Wildlife Research Institute (FWRI) enlists the public to help identify horseshoe crab spawning beaches within the state of Florida. Individuals report observations of spawning activity to the program through an online survey, email alerts and the Horseshoe Crab Hotline, 866-252-9326. Through December 2012, FWRI had received 2,607 reports since implementing the survey program in April 2002.
Observers in 34 coastal Florida counties have reported sightings of horseshoe crab
spawning activity, which FWRI records by county. The high numbers of reports from
Hillsborough and Pinellas counties reflect proximity to FWRI headquarters in
St. Petersburg, where awareness of the horseshoe crab reporting system is high.
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