The Horseshoe Crab Fishery in Florida

Horseshoe crabs are harvested commercially in the U.S. for three purposes: bait (conch and eel fisheries), marine-life (aquaria, research, etc.) and biomedical use (use of the crab's blood for bacteria detection).  Compared to other states, Florida has a small bait fishery for eels and a large marine-life fishery. In March 2000, a series of management measures for horseshoe crabs went into effect in Florida. The regulations required a license to harvest and set a limit on the number of animals each licensee could harvest per day (25 to 100 animals allowed per day per person depending on the permit). In 2002, a biomedical permitting rule created a mechanism to allow for biomedical collection.

View the Florida Horseshoe Crab Fishing Regulations