Visit the UConn Coastal Perspectives website for connection information. These lectures are being offered online and in-person.

Tuesday, March 21, 2023; 7:30 p.m. 

Sarah Porter, Filmmaker

Horseshoe Crabs: How 350 Million Year Old Sea Creatures Are Vital to Our Survival 

NYC has a surprising amount of nature and wildlife, including thousands of horseshoe crabs that come to the shores in the spring to mate. With the worldwide race to develop and manufacture vaccines came renewed interest in these incredible sea creatures and their blue blood. These animals are over 350 million years old and have been critical to the development of COVID-19 vaccines. Although the bright blue blood plays a vital role in helping end the pandemic, their numbers are in decline. Numerous species, including humans, depend on horseshoe crabs and it’s up to us to help ensure their survival. For this mini documentary, Sarah went out into the field and spoke with some “local heroes” in NYC who have been protecting them. Her team explored the nighttime waters of Brooklyn with elementary students to help monitor and tag them, data that then helps determine catch limits on how many can be taken by the biomedical and fishing industry.

Visit the website for more details on the presenters and their topics: https://marinesciences.uconn.edu/lectures/

“Horseshoe Crab” by annie! Is licensed under CC BY 2.0