Fishery Aspect of Horseshoe Crab [Tachypleus gigas (Müller, 1785)] in the Peninsular Malaysia: Exploitation Status

Mohd Razali M R,Zaleha K

doi:10.13189/ujas.2017.050202

Abstract

Horseshoe crab is a unique Arthropoda which is also known as a living fossil because of its ancient morphological appearance. The animal established its existence since 300 million years ago and maintained its morphology to present day. The greatest proportion of adult horseshoe crab mortality is probably due to human activity. Horseshoe crabs in Malaysia are harvested for local consumption or marketed to the neighbor country. Series of survey were carried out to understand the exploitation status and collection technique of horseshoe crab in selected coast, Pahang and Malacca coastal area. Interviews were carried out with fisherman that involved in horseshoe crab exploitation activities. Data collected from 100 respondents were analyzed to compare the exploitation activity in both coastal areas. Respondents were mostly fisherman which used both techniques; collecting on shoreline and net fishing to catch horseshoe crab. More people significantly (p<0.05) used traditional collection method (hand harvest at shoreline) in Pahang (56.1%) compared to those in Malacca (34.15%). 65.85% collectors in Malacca adopted the netting method while, only 43.9% collectors in Pahang preferred the same method to collect adult horseshoe crabs coming to the shore during spawning season. The frequency of netting method monthly was significantly higher (p<0.05) in Malacca than Pahang. This resulted to the higher horseshoe crab quantities caught by 50 respondents in Malacca (16860 per month) than Pahang (4180 per month). The initial results from this survey indicate an alarming condition faced by the horseshoe crab coming to the beach for nesting. Monitoring program should be planned to sustain the fishery activity on horseshoe crab in Malaysia.

Highlights

Horseshoe crab is a unique arthropod that existed since 300 million years ago and known as a living fossil according to its ancient morphological appearance
The present study aimed to report the exploitation status of the horseshoe crab in selected coasts at Pahang and Malacca which currently become important spots for harvesting T. gigas
The usage of the traditional method in Pahang might be due to the equal quantities of horseshoe crab that could be harvested per catch by both methods

Summary

Introduction

Horseshoe crab is a unique arthropod that existed since 300 million years ago and known as a living fossil according to its ancient morphological appearance. The animal established its existence and maintained its descendent features from the Late Ordovician Period to present day [1]. Tachypleus gigas (Müller, 1785) commonly found in Asia coastal water [3] from India to Japan and south to Indonesia [4][5][6] and Malaysia [7]. The Asian horseshoe crab, T. gigas live in sandy to muddy habitats [8][9][10]. A few decades ago, millions of horseshoe crabs were harvested annually and were commercially used as bait in fishery activity, fertilizer in agricultural activity and livestock’s feed due to low commercial value [11]

Methods

Results

Conclusion