A motion granted by the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals will reverse a previous order and allow a Charleston medical laboratory to continue harvesting horseshoe crabs for blood from the Cape Romain National Wildlife Refuge.
Earlier this month, a federal judge in Charleston blocked Charles River Laboratories International Inc. from harvesting the animals from the refuge. The order was to remain in place until a lawsuit seeking to require a more sustainable practice is decided.
But the lab appealed and asked the 4th Circuit Court for a stay of the district court's ruling.
The Southern Environmental Law Center filed a complaint last year on behalf of Defenders of Wildlife that said the lab uses extract from the horseshoe crab's blue blood to test the safety of injectable pharmaceutical drugs and vaccines.
It is estimated that about 30 percent of the animals die as a result of the procedure. But Sam Jorgensen, a spokesman for the lab, said the animals thrive and reproduce once returned to their native waters.
According to the complaint, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has allowed and facilitated the collection of the animals since 2014, and it has disturbed countless birds including the red knot. The lawsuit also alleges that the harvesting of the crabs has killed chicks and destroyed bird eggs.
Catherine Wannamaker, a senior attorney for the Southern Environmental Law Center, said after this week's ruling it is possible that Charles River Laboratories will now return to harvesting the animals.
And in response to the new ruling, the center has filed a motion asking the entire 4th Circuit Court to review the question of whether the harvest can restart because the new ruling was decided only by a three-judge panel.
S.C. Attorney General Alan Wilson's office is in support of the 4th Circuit's stay of the district court's ruling to end the harvest on Cape Romain.
The Link LonkMay 27, 2021 at 03:15AM
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New ruling will allow horseshoe crab harvest on SC's Cape Romain to continue - Charleston Post Courier
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