A aoe om 6 Be eDeas cel Gookteehee ge ate SN eege See he Se | Sd ; ute § id. inches iS about Crabs of this size anc probably considerably larger shoulc iu £ radioactive contawinecion, and they reprasent an imp ortant, je and safe food source for the Bikini people. Dr. He ld, wnose Jies in thiS area, could substantiate my tentative conc lusion. me 0 oa fo mrt a _ 7 © as medium Sized crab, with a carapace Jeugth of about 4 pe d be retained in the population as 4 oF =3 Sy ay id Yhus the older animals sh breeding stock, while younger Jer animals could be exploited for food by the Bikini people. Since catenin is known about the recruitment of young crabs, the possibility exists that cach atoll is a "closed system" with the marine larvee of Use coconut crabs being retained in the Tagoon. Data on the length of Jarvai lire and on the circulation pattern of the Bikini lagoon indicate that this could be so. Thus extermination of the adult populetion of hermit crabs may very well result in extinction of this Specics on this atoll. he desirability of the notion to extermiYo me the idea seems tot a wrong and uninformed. Certainly educati on with regard to a food 1 is better than wholesale destruction, perhaps forever, of an important food resource. Jf am completely coniicent at the Chiets of the B people would be able to control toc co; Cure Of Coconut Crabs as communal sharing of food resources is part of the way of life of these people. J urge you to reconsicy we. there Again, iS any way 2 the 4 c Ji i — nate the coconut Crabs on ji kini Atoll. c mn be o; further hel I beseech you to reconsider the > lease call on ill-advised plan to extermi- nate sn importent food source for the people of Bikini Atoll. Sincerely yours, Hf [y yy if f/<S eet : University of Hawail