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The spine-tailed sea creatures named for the shape of their body
shells face numerous threats, including the loss of nursery
beaches for baby crabs, entanglement in fishing nets and human
exploitation for food.
They are known as "living fossils", serving an important role in
coastal ecology, the understanding of evolutionary science as
well as being a major food source for wading birds.
Of four species worldwide, the Chinese horseshoe crab (tachypleus
tridentatus) and the mangrove horseshoe crab (carcinoscorpis
rotundicauda) are found in Hong Kong coastal waters.
The Ocean Park Conservation Foundation (OPCFHK) said it had
initiated the first underwater automated acoustic "telemetry
system" for a pilot tracking study.
The team released an initial batch of tagged adult crabs into
Tung Chung Bay, near the airport, on Wednesday and will track
and investigate movement and breeding patterns.
"Our commitment is to ensure the continuous breeding and
survival of local horseshoe crabs in the wild," said Howard Chuk,
foundation director of OPCFHK.
The local population of juvenile horseshoe crabs is estimated to
be less than 10,000, while data on the adult population is
inadequate, making it difficult to accurately estimate their
numbers, OPCFHK said.
Rising water levels due to global warming could also exacerbate
loss of habitat with Hong Kong's beaches at risk of being
submerged in future, said Professor Cheung Siu-gin, associate
professor at the Department of Chemistry at City University,
Hong Kong.
"The measurement of water temperature in this study can also
indirectly monitor the situation of global warming."
(Writing by Farah Master; editing by Nick Macfie)
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