Ancient Blue Bloods Provide Critical Link to the Safety of Future Coronavirus Vaccine

Horseshoe crabs mating, north shore of Fishers Island, June 15, 2020. The male, smaller than the female, latches onto her shell and fertilizes tens of thousands of pearly green, birdshot-sized eggs that she drops into holes she digs while dragging him up the beach to the high tide line. Often, multiple males will try to latch on, completing for fertilization rights. Tom Sargent Photo

The horseshoe crab mating season is over for 2020, adding a new generation to its 450-million-year lineage on earth. With COVID-19 raging, the existence of these “living fossils” is more critical than ever.

For the past three decades, drug companies have depended on a component in the blue blood of horseshoe crabs to test for bacterial contamination during the manufacture of every implanted medical device, every shot, every IV drip destined to go inside the human body. This includes all vaccines under development and billions of doses that will go into production to fight COVID-19.

The blue blood product can detect E. Coli and salmonella, for example, but does not kill it. Instead, it envelopes bacteria with a jelly-like coating, signaling to scientists the presence of harmful endotoxins that live on the walls of bacteria.

There has long been a push from environmentalists who want to protect the horseshoe crab, which is listed as “near threatened” by the International Union for Conservation of Nature. A synthetic version of this protein has been approved for use in Europe but this year was rejected for routine use in the United States.

“It is crazy to rely on a wild animal extract during a global pandemic,” said Ryan Phelan, head of the nonprofit Revive and Restore, which supports technological solutions to conservation problems.

Drug companies drain 30 percent of blue blood from nearly 500,000 horseshoe crabs each year for a clotting agent used to make a liquid called Limulus amebocyte lysate (LAL). The synthetic product is rFC. The price of LAL is reportedly $15,000 a quart.

The Lonza Group, a Swiss biotech company, has made a deal to supply LAL to Moderna, the company already testing a potential coronavirus vaccine. Lonza said five billion doses of vaccine would require “less than a day’s combined production for all three LAL manufacturers in the United States.”

It is estimated that 70 million endotoxin tests are performed annually, making the harvesting of horseshoe crab blood a multimillion-dollar industry.

FACTS: Horseshoe crabs…

…have two copper atoms in their blood, which causes the blood to be blue.

…are not crabs. They are arachnids, a class of arthropods with scorpions and spiders.

…often do not make it to the larval stage before being eaten by numerous birds, reptiles and fish.

…swim upside down, can go a year without eating and can endure extreme temperatures and salinity.

…die at a rate of up to 30 percent after blood harvesting. Most are returned to the ocean, although scientists surmise that some companies likely sell the horseshoe crabs as fishing bait instead.

Horseshoe crabs being bled at Charles River Laboratory in Charleston, S.C. Timothy Fadek/Corbis/Getty

Links to Seagrass Webinars

The Fishers Island Seagrass Management Coalition (FISM) has issued links for its three scheduled webinars as they begin to identify the best locations for future seagrass management areas around Fishers Island. FISM is seeking input from the entire Fishers Island Community as to preferred use of inland waters and seagrass conservation ideas.

During the Webinars, FISM Coordinator Connor Jones will talk about FISM’s goals and the importance of preserving the Island’s eelgrass meadows. Fishers Island has 94 percent of the remaining eelgrass in Long Island Sound’s New York waters and 25 percent of all eelgrass in the Sound.

Fishers Island Seagrass Management Coalition Seeking Input from Fishers Island Community

The Fishers Island Seagrass Management Coalition (FISM) has scheduled three Webinars as they begin to identify the best locations for future seagrass management areas around Fishers Island. FISM is seeking input from the entire Fishers Island Community as to preferred use of inland waters and seagrass conservation ideas.

During the Webinars, FISM Coordinator Connor Jones will talk about FISM’s goals and the importance of preserving the Island’s eelgrass meadows. Fishers Island has 94 percent of the remaining eelgrass in Long Island Sound’s New York waters and 25 percent of all eelgrass in the Sound. 

Spring 2020 Migratory Bird Count

Eight birdwatchers observed 45 species in the Spring 2020 Migratory Bird Count May 2 under cloudy skies with cool temperatures in the low 50s F. The group donned masks and practiced social distancing as they proceeded through Audubon’s required 15 five-minute stops across the Island.

“We saw a sedge wren in a pond before the Big Club,” said Tom Sargent, group leader and president of FIConservancy. “Those birds like cattails, which have been obliterated by phragmites, so we did not expect to see this bird.

“But just at the end of the area, we found a few cattails left, and that’s where we saw the wren. Phragmites are so thick that birds cannot nest and therefore cannot breed there. This shows the importance of habitat.”

Migration may have been slow due to a chilly April, because the count was down from the past two years. There were 56 species counted in spring 2019, 55 species in spring 2018 and 45 species in spring 2017.

Stayed tuned for the 2020 Fall Migratory Bird Count in September. There were 45 species noted for the Fall 2019 count.

Kristen Peterson Photos

An osprey soars above Fishers Island’s birdwatchers.

Two Tons of Marine Debris Littered FI Coastline in 2019

Tons of marine debris on Fishers Island beaches and shoreline provide a never-ending clean-up challenge for FIConservancy employee Michele Klimczak. Michele Klimczak Photo

Memorial Day brings the official start to our Fishers Island summer. Help us maintain a clean and healthy environment on Fishers Island: Please grab a bag and pick up debris that you see on or near our beaches and coastline.

In 2019, Island resident Michele Klimczak collected an astounding 8,441 pounds of marine debris from the shores of Fishers Island.

FIConservancy employs Michele to patrol multiple Island locations (listed below) and clear away marine debris. For example, in just one day (Feb. 20, 2019), Michele collected 49 lbs. of debris at the Hay Harbor Club Beach:

Approximately 35 plastic bags sticking out of low tide sand, plastic cups, silverware, containers, bottles, pens, straws, drink stirrers, frisbee, flip flop, mylar and rubber balloons, balloon ribbon, fishing line, string, rope pieces, broken toys, bottle caps, cans, netting, pail. Two large plastic pieces, hose/tubing, wire, broken styrofoam and cups, food containers, food/snack/candy wrappers, full bag of green beans, cigar tips, tampon applicators, drink cup lids, plastic gallon jugs.

Thank you for joining in our mission to help preserve and enhance Fishers Island’s natural resources and surrounding waters. Together, we can help protect the future of our beautiful island!

Locations of FIConservancy Marine Debris Collection:

Latimer Light beach, Clay Point Road beaches, Dock Beach, South Beach, Sanctuary of Sands near South Beach, Race Point beaches, Elizabeth Airport beaches, Silver Eel Cove, Little Stony beach, beaches behind Money Pond, Chocomount Beach, Chocomount Cove, South Dumpling beaches, Isabella Beach, beaches before Big Club, Grey Gulls, Holiday House beaches, Houghton beach, beach at bottom of Four Corners road, beach at stables, beaches to left of Castle Road, Hay Harbor Club beach. (Sent as blast May 26, 2020.)

Native or Non-Native Praying Mantis? All Three Species Live on Fishers Island

Fishers Island has both native and non-native praying mantises. It is important to know the difference. The above Carolina praying mantis is native.

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A Tale of Two Nests

Brown-headed cowbirds lay their speckled eggs in the nests of other birds, who raise those hatchlings at the expense of their own young.

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FIConservancy Postpones Sunset on the Beach until 2021

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FIConservancy President Tom Sargent addresses a crowd at “Sunset on the Beach” 2019. This popular event has been postponed until 2021 in the interest of the health and safety of the Fishers Island community during this pandemic.

 

Dear Fellow Fishers Islander,

As I watch Northern Harriers, Red-tailed Hawks and Kestrels hover over beaches and meadows, I am reassured that once again, the fanfare of spring has arrived, transforming our island into a glorious oasis. The Fishers Island Conservancy (FIConservancy) has been an important partner in sustaining and enhancing this delicate ecosystem with ongoing stewardship and oversight. As we celebrate 35 years of supporting the island, we find ourselves facing unforeseen challenges that require a new approach to outreach and planning.

Our primary concern is the safety and welfare of the entire Fishers Island community. With that in mind, we have canceled “Sunset on the Beach” for 2020. This will significantly impact our fundraising goals. But we are already looking forward to July 17, 2021, when we will continue this great and much-anticipated tradition. We remain committed to providing family-centered (and socially distanced) events as we move through the summer, including Nature Days in August and a showing of the movie Big Little Farm.

Our ongoing projects continue at full throttle, such as this year’s Audubon-structured migratory bird count May 2, when we happily counted 44 different species, despite our masks and gloves. Also, our partnership with FIDCO is on track as we renew badly-damaged micro-environments at targeted spots around the island.

Other active FIConservancy initiatives include guiding students in our Island Sentinels program, partnering with off-island organizations to lobby for environmental best practices, sponsoring the pump out boat in West Harbor, and allocating grants, one of which recently led a Fishers Island School student to first place in a prestigious science fair.

One aspect of life that COVID-19 can’t change is the magnificent beauty this island affords its residents. It’s more important than ever to take time to appreciate the enduring gifts that nature bestows on this small corner of the world. Take a moment to stroll through the Parade Grounds during a summer sunset or sit in the John Thatcher Native Garden (formerly the Demonstration Garden) and watch the local birds take wing. We will be providing socially distanced picnic tables beneath the black gum trees to enhance your enjoyment.

Please know that FIConservancy is still working hard to sustain and enhance our island’s natural resources, even though we are battling a significant reduction in our fundraising dollars. We deeply appreciate any donations you can give to help cover the shortfall due to the loss of “Sunset On the Beach.” A donation to the FIConservancy is a donation to Fishers Island.

Many thanks and please stay safe and healthy.

Cheers

Tom

 

Thomas A. Sargent

President

Fishers Island Conservancy

Parade Grounds Paths Widened to Six Feet

In keeping with efforts to maintain social distancing during the COVID-19 pandemic, FIConservancy has widened all paths in the Parade Grounds to six feet. Tom Sargent Photo

Exciting News: Breeding American Woodcocks on FI

First sighting of breeding American woodcock on Fishers Island in many years. Kyle Kibbe Photo

The American woodcock is neither endangered nor globally threatened. Island residents have reported seeing woodcocks in the Parade Grounds, and its song was documented in the Parade Grounds during the 2018 spring migration.

The exciting news, however, is that this is the first example of a breeding pair on Fishers Island for some time. These birds were spotted April 11 near South Beach. They have clearly benefited from ongoing grassland restoration in the Parade Grounds, Elizabeth Airport, Race Point and South Beach. 

Although classified with sandpipers as shorebirds, American woodcock spend most of their time hidden in fields and on the forest floor probing for earthworms where the soil is moist.

The population of the American woodcock has fallen by an average of slightly more than 1% annually since the 1960s. Most authorities attribute this decline to a loss of habitat caused by forest maturation and urban development.

There are many colorful folk names for the American woodcock. These include timberdoodle, bogsucker, night partridge, brush snipe, hokumpoke, twitterpate, little gomer, fiddle squeak, worm sabre, wafflebird, bumblebee chicken, mud needle, prairie turtle, and crazy straw.