Hundreds of Dead Horseshoe Crabs in Ocean City Canal Disrupts Residents

OCEAN CITY, Md.- In a canal off of 94th street, between Rusty Anchor Rd. and Chesapeake Dr. in Ocean City, hundreds of dead horseshoe crabs have accumulated.

The plethora of carcasses has lead to an overwhelming stench in the nearby residential area.

Brooke Ricks is a resident of the nearby Salt Spray Rd. and spoke on the reactions of passersby.

“You can watch people from your window take walks and they just stop, they reel back, they gag.” Said Ricks. “It’s like honestly a spectacle at this point.”

The deceased horseshoe crabs are a naturally occurring phenomenon that occurs in this canal every summer. But according to another nearby resident Joe Taylor, this batch is especially putrid.

“This is by far the worst year that we’ve ever seen.” Said Taylor.  “At least in the time that I’ve been here.”

Residents aren’t only worried about their experience with the odor, but are also weary of how it will deter renters away from the area.

“I’ve seen two people pack up their houses and leave this week.” Said Taylor. “They got here. They walked out to their porches, they had conversations, and I saw them pack up their cars and leave.”

In a statement from Maryland’s Department of Natural Resources, science writer Joe Zimmerman explained “These horseshoe crabs have likely died from a lack of oxygen in the water after becoming trapped in the canal. During their summer spawn, some horseshoe crabs go into boating channels and dead-end waterways looking for areas to lay their eggs and aren’t able to navigate their way back out of the canals. Hot summer temperatures and bacteria in the canals deplete the oxygen in those areas, which causes the horseshoe crabs to die. Unfortunately, this occurs to some degree every spawning season.”

Public Works has been in the area to assist residents with the disposal of the carcass. But residents say that it is not enough for the overwhelming amount.