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It isn't a death sentence: the overwhelming majority survive, and even go through the process again. If they killed them outright the species would go extinct.

It isn't a death sentence: the overwhelming majority survive, and even go through the process again. If they killed them outright the species would go extinct. Of those two options, this is the environmentally friendly one.

goldenkey 10y ago
Did you read the article? The overwhelming majority die when released back into the ocean after being bloodsucked.
- poizan42 10y ago
  Did you read it? > And evidence is accumulating that the death rate of bled horseshoe crabs is much higher (more like 29 percent versus 15 percent) You do understand that a majority means more than 50% right? So 29 percent is not a majority, and certainly not an overwhelming majority
  - logicallee 10y ago
    while you're at math, one thing to note is that if the same crab is caught 4 times, with a 29% chance of dying each time, then the chances that they are still alive is (1-0.29)^4 which is about 25%. And the chance that they are dead is 75%. Granted I don't know how often crabs are re-caught, or if they would have the same chance of dying each time.
    - novia 10y ago
      Seems like they should require the industry to mark crabs that have been caught with something that would last long enough to allow them to regenerate their blood supply.
      - logicallee 10y ago
        But even if we assume that if they survive they regenerate 100% so they're at the level as though they had never been caught, still, repeating the same 29% risk of dying four times results in an overall 75% chance of dying. (As calculated above.) If you don't want the population to deplete over time you have to make sure they are repopulating faster than this. (Assuming you accept the deaths to begin with.)
        openasocket 10y ago
        It's a fair concern, but if I'd bet it's not an issue. We used to kill millions of these things every year in the 20th century for fertilizer. Even if we killed every single one we harvested for blood we're talking half a million a year. The horseshoe crab survived decades of much worse. Of course, it's definitely something we should keep an eye on, just in case.
coding123 10y ago
However I wonder at what point we're affecting their ability to mate, reproduce, etc..
- novia 10y ago
  While reading the article I was wondering, would things be better if they only bled the male horseshoe crabs? In mammals you theoretically need fewer healthy males than females to successfully produce the next generation. However, since horseshoe crabs fertilize the eggs once they have been laid, I'm not sure whether the same population dynamic is at play.

goldenkey 10y ago

Did you read the article? The overwhelming majority die when released back into the ocean after being bloodsucked.

poizan42 10y ago
Did you read it? > And evidence is accumulating that the death rate of bled horseshoe crabs is much higher (more like 29 percent versus 15 percent) You do understand that a majority means more than 50% right? So 29 percent is not a majority, and certainly not an overwhelming majority
- logicallee 10y ago
  while you're at math, one thing to note is that if the same crab is caught 4 times, with a 29% chance of dying each time, then the chances that they are still alive is (1-0.29)^4 which is about 25%. And the chance that they are dead is 75%. Granted I don't know how often crabs are re-caught, or if they would have the same chance of dying each time.
  - novia 10y ago
    Seems like they should require the industry to mark crabs that have been caught with something that would last long enough to allow them to regenerate their blood supply.
    - logicallee 10y ago
      But even if we assume that if they survive they regenerate 100% so they're at the level as though they had never been caught, still, repeating the same 29% risk of dying four times results in an overall 75% chance of dying. (As calculated above.) If you don't want the population to deplete over time you have to make sure they are repopulating faster than this. (Assuming you accept the deaths to begin with.)
      - openasocket 10y ago
        It's a fair concern, but if I'd bet it's not an issue. We used to kill millions of these things every year in the 20th century for fertilizer. Even if we killed every single one we harvested for blood we're talking half a million a year. The horseshoe crab survived decades of much worse. Of course, it's definitely something we should keep an eye on, just in case.

coding123 10y ago

However I wonder at what point we're affecting their ability to mate, reproduce, etc..

novia 10y ago
While reading the article I was wondering, would things be better if they only bled the male horseshoe crabs? In mammals you theoretically need fewer healthy males than females to successfully produce the next generation. However, since horseshoe crabs fertilize the eggs once they have been laid, I'm not sure whether the same population dynamic is at play.