Crab Wars : A Tale of Horseshoe Crabs, Ecology, and Human Health.

A timely look at the exploitation of a species that has helped with the development of countless drugs and is fast becoming endangered. Because every drug certified by the FDA must be tested using the horseshoe crab derivative known as Limulus lysate, a multimillion-dollar industry has emerged involving the license to bleed horseshoe crabs and the rights to their breeding grounds. William Sargent presents a thoroughly accessible insider's guide to the discovery of the lysate test, the exploitation of the horseshoe crab at the hands of multinational pharmaceutical conglomerates, local fishing interests, and the legal and governmental wrangling over the creatures' ultimate fate. In the end, the story of the horseshoe crab is a sobering reflection on the unintended consequences of scientific progress and the danger of self-regulated industries controlling a limited natural resource. This new edition brings the story up to date as companies race to manufacture alternatives to the horseshoe crab blood, which is now essential for testing vaccines such as those developed to counter COVID-19. However, horseshoe crab populations are still dwindling, with profound implications not only for the future of the crabs themselves but also for the ecosystems that depend on them. Contents Preface to the Second Edition Preface to the First Edition Acknowledgments Part I: Early Lessons Introduction Chapter 1: A Day in the Life of a Hunter-Gatherer Chapter 2: Carl Shuster [July 14, 1953] Chapter 3: First Lessons [Boston Children’s Hospital, 1956] Chapter 4: At an Ancient Orgy [June 21, 1957] Part II: Commercialization Chapter 5: The Conversation [Woods Hole, 1962] Chapter 6: Bleeding the Crab [1969–1974] Chapter 7: Crabs and Ponies [Chincoteague Island, June 22, 1972] Chapter 8: “Flugate” [1976] Chapter 9: Confessions of a Horseshoe Crab Farmer [Cape Cod, 1982] Chapter 10: A Garden Party [Charleston, South Carolina, 1985] Part III: Environmental Conflicts Chapter 11: Fishing for Bait: The Conch and Eel Fisheries [Delaware Bay, 1990–2000] Chapter 12: A Day at the Beach: Red Knots and Horseshoe Crabs [Reed’s Beach, New Jersey, May 29, 1985] Chapter 13: The Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission [Washington, D.C., 1996–1999] Chapter 14: Jay Harrington vs. Bruce Babbitt [Pleasant Bay, 2000] Chapter 15: A Bizarre Incident [May 23, 2000] Chapter 16: The Decision [John Joseph Moakley Federal Court House, Boston, Massachusetts, May 22, 2001] Chapter 17: The Loophole [Falmouth, Massachusetts, June 2001] Chapter 18: Raw Lysate: A New Industry [Chincoteague, Virginia, July 30, 2001] Chapter 19: Numbers, Numbers, Numbers [Delaware Bay, September 28, 2001] Part IV: Crabs and COVID Chapter 20: Dr. Ling Jaek Ding [Singapore, 2013] Chapter 21: Three Surprises [May 29, 2020] Chapter 22: The New Kid on the Block: Pease Industrial Park | [Portsmouth, New Hampshire, July 2020] Chapter 23: On Pins and Needles: Operation Warp Speed [August 15, 2020] Chapter 24: Three Asian Crabs [August 2020] Epilogue: Afterthoughts [September 9, 2020] Index "William Sargent presents a thoroughly accessible insider's guide to the discovery of the lysate test, the exploitation of the horseshoe crab at the hands of multinational pharmaceutical conglomerates, local fishing interests, and the legal and governmental wrangling over the creatures' ultimate fate. Updated to include the 2020 pandemic"-- Provided by publisher