Horseshoe crab

The horseshoe crab is at the center of a contentious debate, and one that plays the world over. How do we find the balance between man and nature?

In the Delaware Bay, the clash over horseshoe crabs has embroiled experts, agencies and people in a heated debate that pits the survival of the red knot against the livelihood of fisherman and the U.S. pharmaceutical industry.

And, in order to find a solution, The Audubon Society, the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission, the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, conservationists and long-time bay watermen are all looking for one thing, an answer to how many horseshoe crabs there are – and how many there need to be to maintain the ecological balance of the bay if the red knot is to have any hope of survival