Decline of shorebird linked to bait use of horseshoe crabs
Friday, February 13, 2009 - 05:28
in Health & Medicine
Declining numbers of a shorebird called the red knot have been linked to bait use of horseshoe crabs. Long-term surveys of red knots showed that the average weight of red knots when they leave Delaware Bay has declined significantly since their primary food source, eggs of horseshoe crabs, has been reduced. The study also revealed that red knot survivorship is related to departure weight, and that the population size of red knots has declined by more than 75 percent...
