There is no unique time when horseshoe crabs have been designated as protected animals, specifically:

1991 , Oriental horseshoe crab, the Chinese horseshoe crab, has been included in the "Guangxi Key Protected Wild Animals List".

In 1993, the Chinese horseshoe crab was included in the "List of Key Protected Wild Animals in Fujian Province".

In 2001, Chinese horseshoe crab, southern horseshoe crab, and round-tailed horseshoe crab were included in the "List of Key Protected Aquatic Wild Animals in Guangdong Province (First Batch)".

On February 5, 2021, the adjusted "List of National Key Protected Wild Animals" was officially announced, and the horseshoe crabs distributed in my country (Chinese horseshoe crab, horseshoe crab) were upgraded to national second-level protection animal.