Horseshoe crabs have survived on earth for nearly 500 million years and are one of the oldest species on earth. They still retain their original appearance and can be called a "living fossil" with blue blood flowing.
To achieve precise protection, we need to continuously understand the family background of "horseshoe crab". Recently, the results of the 2021 Asia-Pacific Horseshoe Crab Observation Network Plan's juvenile horseshoe crab survey were announced: Among the 25 survey sites across the country, Guangdong Suixi Habitat Survey Site Chinese Horseshoe Crab juvenile horseshoe crab quadrat coverage rate is 57%, and the quadrat density of juvenile horseshoe crabs exceeds the national average quadrat ratio 57%, both indicators rank first in the country; the maximum density indicator of juvenile horseshoe crabs per unit quadrat, at the Suixi survey point in Guangdong, reaches 17ind./100㎡, and the average density of juvenile horseshoe crabs per quadrat is 2.2ind./100㎡. These two indicators rank first in the coastal areas of the mainland.
Suixi The Chinese horseshoe crab habitat survey site has many first-place results, which truly reflects that Suixi has a good environment for the breeding and growth of Chinese horseshoe crabs. From another perspective, this also reminds the public that it is necessary to focus on protecting the few pure lands of the Chinese horseshoe crab.
Suixi is a natural spawning ground for horseshoe crabs
Back in the 1970s and 1980s, many fishermen along the coast have fond memories of "encountering" Chinese horseshoe crabs.
With human activities and the destruction of natural habitats, the number of Chinese horseshoe crabs has declined sharply. In 2019, the Chinese horseshoe crab was officially updated to Endangered (EN) on the World Conservation Union Red List of Endangered Species. In February 2021, it was included in the list of national secondary key protected wild animals.
Jie Xiaoyong, associate researcher at the South China Sea Fisheries Research Institute of the Chinese Academy of Fisheries Sciences, said that currently the overall resources of Chinese horseshoe crabs have declined significantly across the country, and it is difficult to find natural populations of Chinese horseshoe crabs in the waters of eastern Guangdong, Fujian, Zhejiang and other places. Relatively speaking, the density of Chinese horseshoe crabs in Beibu Gulf waters is higher.
In 2000, Zhanjiang built China's first horseshoe crab nature reserve in Suixi. Here, the beach is clean and tidy, the water is clear, and it complements the blue sky like a bright mirror. Many years ago, Jie Xiaoyong and his team came here to conduct a survey of Chinese horseshoe crab resources and habitats. Since then, he and his team members have visited coastal towns around Suixi every year to learn about the conservation status of Chinese horseshoe crabs.
In 2019, the horseshoe crab conservation research team of the South China Sea Fisheries Research Institute of the Chinese Academy of Fishery Sciences conducted a survey on juvenile horseshoe crab resources in six horseshoe crab reserves in Guangdong Province. The survey results showed that only Suixi Chinese horseshoe crab reserves and Xuwen round-tailed horseshoe crab reserves were found to have juvenile horseshoe crabs, while the horseshoe crab resources in the other four reserves were almost extinct.
Why should we protect horseshoe crab? First, the Chinese horseshoe crab has thrived in rivers with a long history, retaining its original appearance and highlighting the uniqueness of the species; second, the blood of horseshoe crabs contains a variety of active substances, whose biological activity can be antibacterial, anti- virus , inhibit the growth of tumor cells, and is the main component of Limulus reagent...
In Jie Xiaoyong's view, horseshoe crabs are an unpopular research object, and the topic of horseshoe crab protection is difficult to attract public attention. Joining the Asia-Pacific Horseshoe Crab Observation Network Project allows his team to get to know more people or public welfare organizations with common aspirations in the waters around the Beibu Gulf, and gather together to form a joint force for protection.
Jie Xiaoyong believes that horseshoe crab protection is a matter that is not easily noticed by the public. Joining the Asia-Pacific Horseshoe Crab Observation Network Project can find people or public welfare organizations with common aspirations in the waters around the Beibu Gulf. "We mainly investigate the horseshoe crab resources in Guangdong Province. The bay conditions of the Beibu Gulf are suitable for China." Horseshoe crabs grow, and Chinese horseshoe crabs move within a small range. Suixi is also a natural spawning ground for Chinese horseshoe crabs.”
Horseshoe crab protection requires more people to participate
Jie Xiaoyong, who is engaged in aquatic research, spends more energy on studying horseshoe crab groups and understanding the social value behind horseshoe crabs. When conducting research on the habitat of young horseshoe crabs around the Beibu Gulf, he revealed that during the research process, the team found that human activities such as aquaculture, port construction, and driving to the sea are very destructive to the habitat of horseshoe crabs. Trophic position analysis shows that the Chinese horseshoe crab is in a relatively weak position in the natural ecosystem food web, and scientific protection measures are urgently needed as it is already endangered. Niche analysis shows that Chinese horseshoe crab juvenile horseshoe crab can be used as an indicator species for the health of coastal wetland ecosystems. It is recommended that Chinese horseshoe crab be used as the flagship species to carry out coastal wetland biodiversity conservation and management promotion.
Liang Aizhou, the person in charge of the Guangdong Aquatic Wildlife Rescue Base, has the same idea as Jie Xiaoyong. For more than ten years, Liang Aizhou has devoted himself to the artificial cultivation of horseshoe crabs. He said: "The overall beach conditions in Suixi are good and suitable for the reproduction and breeding of horseshoe crabs. After we increased and released horseshoe crab seedlings here, follow-up surveys found that human factors have a greater impact on horseshoe crabs. "In recent years, Liang Aizhou has participated in the project to restore horseshoe crab resources in the Beibu Gulf, and has carried out many Chinese horseshoe crab seedling proliferation and release activities in Suixi waters, releasing about 500,000 horseshoe crab seedlings each time.
On June 18 this year, China’s first “horseshoe crab protection community” settled in Heishiyu, Naozhou Island, Zhanjiang, using a community model to unite various forces to participate in the cause of horseshoe crab protection. As a promoter and participant in the horseshoe crab protection community, Jie Xiaoyong believes that fishermen can become the main group for local horseshoe crab protection. After the community is established, it organizes fishermen's children to participate in marine protection activities to help them establish environmental protection concepts. "The protection of horseshoe crabs requires the participation of more local people. In the future, we hope to find more like-minded partners in Suixi Let’s do this and carry out efficient science popularization to let more people know that eating horseshoe crabs is illegal and that accidentally caught horseshoe crabs must be handed over to rescue agencies.”
Guangdong Ecological Engineering Vocational College Dr. Ding Xin has been engaged in research on national parks and nature reserves for a long time, and his team is very concerned about the protection of Chinese horseshoe crabs. In 2019, during the integration and optimization work of natural reserves in Zhanjiang City, the main distribution areas of Chinese Horseshoe Crab in Suixi County were integrated and optimized into the "Zhanjiang Suixi Chinese Horseshoe Crab Local Nature Reserve", and the scope of the reserve was successively carried out The work of boundary demarcation with functional areas, comprehensive scientific investigation and master planning preparation has clarified the protection scope of Chinese horseshoe crab, and proposed engineering measures to strengthen the protection and management of Chinese horseshoe crab, scientific research and monitoring, popular science education, and ecological restoration, striving to make it an important protected area for my country's horseshoe crab resources.
[Reporter] Fu Xiaobing
[Correspondent] Wang Siting
[Author]
[Source] Southern Newspaper Media Group Southern + Client
