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A review on fisheries and conservation status of Asian horseshoe crabs

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A Correction to this article was published on 20 October 2018

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Abstract

Horseshoe crabs are the only extant xiphosurans and are believed to be morphologically unchanged for more than 200 million years. Of the four extant species namely, Limulus polyphemus, Tachypleus tridentatus, Tapinauchenius gigas and Carcinoscorpius rotundicauda, the latter three are found in Asian waters. Recent evidences showed that Asian horseshoe crabs are facing serious threats such as degradation of their spawning grounds and habitat, environmental pollution, overexploitation as a culinary delicacy and biomedical bleeding practices. Baseline data on the distribution and existing population of the wild horseshoe crabs remain poorly known in several Asian regions. Several studies have clearly revealed that pressure due to over-fishing of wild stock has increased tremendously in the last decade. Due to an increase in demand for Tachypleus Amebocyte Lysate (TAL) analogous to Limulus Amebocyte Lysate (LAL) in the United States, there is an urgent need to comprehensively address their fishing and conservation measures in the Asian region. This review addresses the overall studies on three species of Asian horseshoe crabs in relation to their fishing practices, local exploitation of their wild stock either for human consumption (or) by biomedical industries. The authors have structured the discussion on an international scale to address the existing problems in fishing and conservation of horseshoe crabs. Since no specific regulatory force or legislative protection act or a policy to preserve their natural stock are available to this date, this paper strongly recommends representative countries to include horseshoe crabs under their wildlife protection act to avoid further unsustainable exploitation of their wild populations.

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Change history

  • 20 October 2018

    In the published article, in the Abstract (line 3) and the Introduction (line 13), the scientific name of Tachypleus gigas was incorrectly given as Tapinauchenius gigas. The correct generic name is Tachypleus, a genus of xiphosuran arthropods, whereas Tapinauchenius is a genus of an arachnid. We apologise for any confusion this error may have caused.

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Acknowledgements

Authors extend their thanks to IUCN Horseshoe Crab Species Specialist Group (IUCN SSC) for its inspiration to carry out this extensive review work. Special thanks goes to Ecological Research and Development Group (ERDG), USA for their contribution to conservation of four extant horseshoe crab species.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institute of Oceanography and Maritime Studies (INOCEM), Kulliyyah of Science, International Islamic University Malaysia, 25200, Kuantan, Pahang, Malaysia

    B. Akbar John & Hassan I. Sheikh

  2. Tropical Biodiversity and Sustainable Development Institute, Universiti Malaysia Terengganu, 20130 Kuala Nerus, Terengganu, Malaysia

    B. R. Nelson

  3. Department of Chemistry, State Key Laboratory of Marine Pollution, City University of Hong Kong, Tat Chee Avenue, Kowloon Tong, Hong Kong

    S. G. Cheung

  4. Department of Aquatic Resources Management, Bogor Agricultural University, Bogor, Indonesia

    Yusli Wardiatno

  5. Horseshoe Crab Research Unit, Department of Bioscience and Biotechnology, Fakir Mohan University, Balasore, Odisha, 756020, India

    Bisnu Prasad Dash & Siddhartha Pati

  6. Japan Society for the Conservation of Horseshoe Crabs, Kasaoka City, Okayama, Japan

    Keiji Tsuchiya

  7. Research Institute of Environment for Sustainability, Faculty of Engineering, Kyushu University, Fukuoka, Japan

    Yumiko Iwasaki

  8. Center for Coastal and Marine Resources Studies, Bogor Agricultural University (IPB), Kampus IPB Baranangsiang, Jalan Raya Pajajaran, Bogor, 16143, Indonesia

    Yusli Wardiatno

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  9. Siddhartha Pati
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All authors have equal contribution in this manuscript writing. Corresponding author of this manuscript conceived idea and prepared introduction, review flow and drafted final manuscript.

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Communicated by Angus Jackson.

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John, B.A., Nelson, B.R., Sheikh, H.I. et al. A review on fisheries and conservation status of Asian horseshoe crabs. Biodivers Conserv 27, 3573–3598 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10531-018-1633-8

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