Environmental group files lawsuit against federal government over horseshoe crab protections

MAINE PUBLIC • May 28, 2026

A national environmental organization Thursday filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration for failing to protect American horseshoe crabs under the Endangered Species Act. The Center for Biological Diversity is among more than two dozen organizations that petitioned the National Marine Fisheries Service to protect horseshoe crabs in 2024. The Center says horseshoe crab populations have plummeted in recent decades and the species is threatened by overharvesting and habitat loss.