The population of horseshoe crabs, whose blood is used to test vaccines and many drugs, began to decline. Experts state that horseshoe crabs, a 450-million-year-old living fossil, are on the verge of extinction.
Known as a ‘living fossil’, the 450-million-year-old crab provides a natural source of a substance called limulus amebocyte lysate (LAL). That blood is used by pharmaceutical and medical companies to ensure vaccines and a wide variety of medical devices and products are free of endotoxin contamination. Endotoxins can cause fever, anaphylactic shock, and diseases such as bubonic plague.
USED IN THE TEST OF CORONAVIRUS VACCINES
These animals have also been a vital tool in testing the currently commercially available coronavirus vaccines. Scientists drain horse crabs’ blood and return it to the oceans to retrieve blue blood, which contains immune cells called Limulus polyphemus (LAL). However, recent studies have shown that most crabs die when released back into the ocean.
HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS OF CRABS ARE CAUGHT EVERY YEAR
“As of now, the entire supply chain for endotoxin testing for drugs relies on the harvest of a vulnerable or nearly extinct marine creature,” Kevin Williams, a scientist who produces synthetic LAL, told the Washington Post. It is estimated that hundreds of thousands of horseshoe crabs are caught for their milky blood each year.
In the US, although the horseshoe crab population is not currently endangered, recent data show that up to 30 percent of crabs collected for their blood die when they return to the ocean.
15 thousand dollars per liter
On the other hand, the Atlantic Marine Fisheries Commission reported that in 2019, US laboratories extracted blood from 640,000 horseshoe crabs. Horseshoe crab blood has become a $500 billion industry, according to The Verge, the American tech and media news network. Accordingly, the blood of animals brings 15 thousand dollars per liter. The market value of Charles River, a South Carolina lab that still adheres to the old practice, is therefore estimated at around $13 billion.
Vulnerable Species
Horseshoe crabs are also overfished for food and bait, leading to habitat loss. Larry Niles, a wildlife biologist, says horseshoe crabs are not a protected species, but a $500 billion industry for their blood.