Balasore, Dec. 4: Two researchers have taken an initiative to study horseshoe crabs that are available off the district coastline.
The rare species, estimated to be at least 300 million years old, are found in abundance off Chandipur coast. Researchers of Goa-based National Institute of Oceanography had earlier initiated a research project on the crabs. However, the project was abandoned midway.
Anil Chatterjee, who was heading the research team of the National Institute of Oceanography, has now expressed his personal interest in conducting research on the species after retirement from service. Chatterjee will carry out the research in association with Bishnu Prasad Dash, who heads the bioscience and biotechnology department at Fakir Mohan University.
The Fakir Mohan University is also planning to offer a course on horseshoe crabs. University vice-chancellor Sibaprasad Adhikary recently revealed his plan to start a course on the species at a seminar that was attended by experts such as Chatterjee, the divisional forest officer and many bioscience research scholars.
"A lot of research has to be done on the horseshoe crabs. Only four species of the crab are available in the world, while two of them are found along coast of the Bay of Bengal," said Chatterjee.
Dash said: "Our department has been working on the subject for the last two years. We plan to introduce a course on the life forms that are available in the locality, such as horseshoe crabs, turtles and crocodiles. We have already prepared some papers on the subject. I attended a seminar on horseshoe crabs in Japan in June last year," he said.
Nowadays, only dead crabs are found off the coast. Unrestricted movement of trawlers and mechanised boats are causing their death.
Divisional forest officer Harsh Bardhan Udgata said: "The crabs have these days shifted to Khandia and Kantiachira rivers to avoid being trapped by trawlers."
"The horseshoe crabs are protected under the Schedule-IV of Wildlife Protection Act and one needs permission from the principal chief conservator of forests for conducting research on them," Udgata said.
