Volunteers Needed For Horseshoe Crab Tagging Blitz

This story was posted by Christine Sampson. It was written by Erica Jackson.

There are a number of volunteer opportunities in the area, but here is a unique one that can be done individually, with family or a group of friends.

Cornell Cooperative Extension's Marine Program is seeking volunteers to help with its spring horseshoe crab tagging program at Mt. Sinai Harbor starting May 7. 

Tagging crabs, according to Cornell, helps provide a "picture of how this ancient creature moves about our bays and oceans, and helps determine how healthy the population of horseshoe crabs is."

Cornell said that in addition to keeping tabs on the crabs, the tagging program also helps to monitor "the health and population of migrating birds who feed off the eggs of the crabs."

This year, Cornell is looking to tag crabs in the Mt. Sinai area and others over the course of 15 evenings through July with a tagging blitz night in the works, possibly for Memorial Day weekend. During the blitz, Cornell hopes that volunteers can tag over 1,000 crabs. 

Regina Mulhearn of Cornell said that each night, volunteers will be asked to measure the crabs and tag them with a plastic tag that is attached to each crab's shell. The tag, she said, contains a phone number for fishermen to call to report where they picked up the crab. 

That information is then logged and marine scientists can use the logs to learn more about the crabs' migration patterns. 

In the past, Mulhearn said volunteers have found themselves surrounded by crabs — 2,500 appeared one evening last year, she said. 

Those interested in helping, should arrive a half an hour prior to tagging start times, wear boots, warm clothing and bring a flashlight or headlamp, and must bring a signed waiver that can be printed out here. 

Visit nyhorsheshoecrab.org for the dates and times volunteers are needed and for site-specific contacts who can answer your questions.