Interviews

We interviewed people who are especially interested in horseshoe crabs. It was a wonderful experience to be able to talk to these people and ask them questions. They were all busy people, but they took the time to talk to us and were really nice to us. We thank them for that.

Dr. Carl Schuster, Jr.

photo permission: Michael Oates

     Dr. Schuster has been studying horseshoe crabs for more than fifty years. He is a horseshoe crab expert known throughout the world .  When anyone mentions horseshoe crabs or tries to find information about them, his name comes up immediately. At the present he is an adjunct professor of marine science at Virginia Institute of Marine Science, The College of William & Mary. When he was asked why is it important for people, and especially elementary school pupils, to learn about horseshoe crabs, he responded, "It’s part of a scheme of learning and it doesn’t apply to only horseshoe crabs. Early man survived because he learned about his environment - what to eat, weather signs, carnivores etc. When we were growing up, at least as boys, (I have 5 sons) we are usually attracted to natural objects. Some of this includes collecting stones, bugs, snakes frogs, turtles, dried leaves and flowers, flower seeds, photographs of birds etc. For whatever reason, many people may not have the opportunity to continue these childhood pursuits. I was fortunate to have been able to do so, even at a hobby level. So for those who have been exposed to and become interested in natural things and events, it's something that can carry on for a lifetime - increasing, for each of us, our understanding and appreciation of the environment."
     When asked what he found to be the most interesting and rewarding over the years while he was studying horseshoe crabs, Dr. Schuster answered, " Four things: the natural history and ecology of horseshoe crabs; the coastal habitats (great geography, from Dauphin Island, Alabama to Casco Bay, Maine); the local naturalists and fishermen; and the students, educators, scientists, politicians, etc."
                                                                                                                                           interviewed  by Alexander
Dr. William Hall

     Dr. William Hall  is a marine biologist at the College of Marine Science at the University of Delaware in Lees, Delaware. He is Delaware's leading authority on horseshoe crabs.  Dr. Hall takes part in studying horseshoe crabs because he has always had an interest in animals, and his favorite animal is the horseshoe crab. When I talked to him, he said that most people think that horseshoe crabs have no value, but they actually have great value in the world. If there were no horseshoe crabs there would be a BIG problem in testing medicine.  The medicine that we take for our colds and allergies has been tested on the horseshoe crab. Also, all sorts of animals depend on horseshoe crabs for food. So, if there were no horseshoe crabs, there would also not be all of the animals that we have today that eat horseshoe crabs and their eggs.  People should do whatever they can to help keep horseshoe crabs around for years to come because the horseshoe crabs were here long before the dinosaurs.

                                                                                              interviewed by Timmy
Mr. Michael Oates

    Mr. Michael Oates, producer of the video "Dollars on the Beach", came to our class  one day in December and brought in a strange cage he found.  He said  it was an eel pot. When we all got a good look at it, he told us how the eel trap worked.

    Mr. Oates is a strong supporter of  horseshoe crabs. When I asked him why kids should learn about horseshoe crabs, he said that horseshoe crabs are neat, and people should learn about horseshoe crabs because they help test to see if medicines are safe. If you have ever gotten a shot, then you should thank horseshoe crabs. To test medicine is only one of those reasons. Horseshoe crabs are an important part of our ecosystem. He hopes people will learn that horseshoe crabs are more than rocks living on the beach.

                                                                                               interviewed by Kevin

Mr. Peter Himchak
 Mr. Peter Himchak is involved with  horseshoe crab management and resource monitoring in New Jersey.  He has been a fishery biologist with the NJ Division of Fish and Wildlife for 26+ years and currently serves in the job title of Supervising Biologist. We asked him why people should learn about horseshoe crabs. He responded that people should learn about horseshoe crabs because he thinks that they are the most remarkable creatures on earth  because they have survived for over 300 million years. (You've got to admit that surviving for over 300 million years is remarkable!)
     Mr. Himchack became involved with  horseshoe crab management and resource monitoring in New Jersey during the early 1990's. He played a very important part in the drafting of  the initial horseshoe crab rule in 1993, and many amendments to regulations since then.  He told us that what started out as an ancillory work assignment has become a major work assignment. The management of horseshoe crabs, he says, with its many social and ecological facets has really been a rewarding task. Horseshoe crab conservation and management is a truly remarkable and complex story.
    When we asked him what the birders and watermen in N.J. thought about  horseshoe crab management, he answered  that the birders want a complete moratorium on the harvest of horseshoe crabs for bait and the commercial fishermen want an unlimited harvest. He added that the correct management approach most likely lies within this very wide spectrum of ideas. Scientific data is necessary to make the proper management decisions. Much has been accomplished but much more remains to be learned about the status of the coastal horseshoe crab stock status. The management process is evolving as new data is acquired.
                                                                                                interviewed by Pamela


Mr. Gary Kreamer

      Mr. Gary Kreamer is education coordinator at the Aquatic Resource Education Center in Smyrna, Delaware. He has been very active in Delaware in providing educational resources to people to educate them about wetlands. For the past year he also has been involved with a group of teachers to develop educational materials about horseshoe crabs.  When I talked to him, he said that more horseshoe crabs live here in Delaware than any other place in the world.  But, people in Delaware don't know very much about horseshoe crabs and how they can  help them. When people see horseshoe crabs on the beach, they think they have come on the beach to die. The people don't realize they are spawning (laying eggs).

           Mr. Kreamer thinks people should take part in helping horseshoe crabs stay alive because in addition to their "economic, ecological, and medical values, horseshoe crabs, like all living things, need to be valued and perceived as having a right to be here, on their own accord, irrespective of how humans assess their value." Horseshoe crabs have been here on earth before the dinosaurs were even here.
           When I asked Mr. Kreamer why he personally takes part in helping  horseshoe crabs, he answered because he was a teacher, and he wants to tell people about the horseshoe crabs and how they help us now. He helps protect them not only because it is  part of his job, but he wants to help the horseshoe crabs stay here alive for many years to come.
                                                                                                          interviewed by Quan

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