Plans are being made to build a horseshoe crab museum in Milton, Delaware. A man named Mr.Glenn Gauvry began the Ecological Research and Development Group (ERDG) a couple of years ago. This group is "a non-profit organization whose mission is to seek solutions that prevent or mitigate damage to native wildlife populations and habitats due to human activities". It is very active in horseshoe crab education and conservation programs. Now Mr. Gauvry is working  with the town of Milton to create a horseshoe crab museum and educational center. So far, a historical  building in the middle of the town along the Broadkill River has been selected as the site of the museum. Plans are being made to restore the building's front to fit in with the historical character of the downtown area. At the present, people are trying to raise money to renovate and expand the building.  It is hoped that the museum will be ready to open in the fall of 2002, and  thousands of visitors will come to the museum. This would mean that not only would many people be educated about the horseshoe crab, but the money the visitors would bring would contribute to the town of Milton's revitalization efforts.

     At one time there were many horseshoe crabs along a tidal flat along Kasaoka Bay in Kasaoka. In fact, this area had been set aside as a protective zone for horseshoe crabs by the Japanese government. Then in 1966 a land reclamation project covering over 1,811 hectares in the bay was begun. The project, which was completed in 1990, was one of the largest of its kind in Japan. It was supposed to create more land for houses and farming. It did create more land, but it also completely destroyed the entire population of crabs in that area.
    After that project, in 1975, the Japanese government established the Horseshoe Crab Protection Center. Then when people realized the horseshoe crab was in danger of becoming extinct,  the center was turned into the The Kasaoka City Horseshoe Crab Museum.

Photo Permission:The Kasaoka City Horseshoe Crab Museum

Right now it is the only horseshoe crab museum in the world. The museum is shaped like a horseshoe crab. It tries to educate people about the importance of horseshoe crabs and how to protect them. It does a variety of  kinds of things. For example, in 1993 the people at the museum began a five year project to raise horseshoe crabs from eggs which they would then release into the bay. They were hoping this would increase the number of horseshoe crabs in the bay.  How successful they have been they are still not sure. However, they have learned some interesting things while they have been working on this project. For example, "the crab can survive without any food for up to two years and can survive in a dry environment for up to two weeks as long as its respiratory organs remain wet." Below is a picture of some of the exhibits. Mr. Toru Nakiashima sent us these pictures and an explanation of the exhibits.

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