> Date: Fri, 14 Apr 2000 09:31:54 -0400 > From: Tyler Bell > Subject: Horseshoe Crabs and Virginia > > Not only is Virginia one of the last vestiges of tobacco, it seems that= = > they have a corner on the market of stupid fishermen as well. I first became involved in horseshoe crab conservation work as a result of my concern for the shorebirds that depend on their eggs. But over the years, I've come to appreciate the horseshoe crabs for themselves, and have developed a deep affection for them. There are so few people who truly appreciate how extraordinary these animals are in their own right, and how important they are in the web of life in our coastal waters. Virginia's decision is shortsighted and stupid, and I'm incensed by it. We tend to see them in light of how they affect other species--that's what seems to justify their existence to policymakers. So I'll offer another reason why horseshoe crabs are important. It's not just the shorebirds that will suffer. We will too. Their blood contains a compound called Limulus Amebocyte Lysate (LAL). This compound is very sensitive to gram negative bacteria and can detect it at very small concentrations. As a result, it has become a standard in the pharmaceutic= al industry to test all products using this compound before it is released to consumers. This compound is extracted from the horseshoe crab--about 1/3rd of the blood is removed and the animal is returned to the wild. I don't know what kind of science the VA representatives are citing as not valid. You don't have to be a rocket scientist to see that these animals are being overfished. It just doesn't make sense... - shireen ========================================================================= To leave the MDOsprey list, send e-mail to listserv@home.ease.lsoft.com with the following message in line 1: signoff mdosprey ========================================================================= ===========================================================================