PHOTOS: Horseshoe Crab Tagging Blitz Kicks-Off

Cornell Cooperative Extension's horseshoe tagging program at Pikes Beach in West Hampton Dunes is off to a great start, according to Regina Mulhearn, of Cornell.

The program kicked-off on Tuesday night with help from volunteers from the Quogue Wildlife Refuge, as well as some local residents.

During the evening, Mulhearn said the group was able to tag a number of crabs and hopes that over the next several months, they will be able to tag thousands more.

"As we saw, there were a fair amount of horseshoe crabs out there and I am sure we will see the numbers grow," she said.

Cornell expects that the numbers of horseshoe crabs that come up on the beach will intensify by Memorial Day weekend and she hopes to gather more volunteers to help tag.

Specifically, Cornell needs about 30 volunteers each tagging night to tag 1,000 crabs.

Tagging is vital, said Mulhearn, because it helps paint a "picture of how this ancient creature moves about our bays and oceans, and helps determine how healthy the population of horseshoe crabs is."

To find out more about volunteering, click here.