Horseshoe Crab Heroes Needed: HELP PROTECT THESE LIVING FOSSILS

Do you care about horseshoe crabs? Then please join our continuing effort to help protect them!

​The Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission (ASMFC) is holding a workshop on July 15 and 16 to discuss the management of Delaware Bay horseshoe crabs. The workshop will be held at the Delaware Department of Natural Resources & Environmental Control's Lewes Field Office at 901 Pilottown Road, Lewes, DE.

Over the past few years, the ASMFC has attempted to increase the harvest limits for Delaware Bay horseshoe crabs and end a moratorium on harvesting female crabs, even though conservation targets previously agreed to by the Commission have not been reached. Public input in the past, including 34,000 letters in 2022, has helped stave off those proposed changes.

According to ASMFC, the upcoming meeting is focused on "providing the space for participants to openly discuss ecosystem and management objectives, identify common ground among divergent stakeholder views, and develop options for Board discussion and consideration. ...no management decisions are being formulated or acted upon at the workshop."

However, there will be only limited opportunity for public comments at the meeting and only from those attending in person. If you plan to attend the workshop, you must inform Senior Fishery Management Plan Coordinator Caitlin Starks by noon on Friday, July 12.

The Littoral Society's Executive Director Tim Dillingham will be in attendance and plans to raise a number of concerns about the ASMFC's ongoing attempts to allow more crabs to be taken from the bay.

The Littoral Society and many other environmental organizations oppose any proposal to increase harvesting because it would endanger Delaware Bay horseshoe crabs and the migratory shorebirds (like the Red Knot) which depend on their eggs to fuel their journey to arctic nesting grounds. Red Knots are listed as threatened under the Endangered Species Act.

Why Horseshoe Crabs Matter
Horseshoe crabs are living fossils that have existed essentially unchanged for hundreds of millions of years. They also play a vital role in the coastal ecosystem, with their eggs providing a critical food source for fish, sea turtles and migratory shorebirds. Unfortunately, their populations have dramatically declined over the past 30 years due to overharvesting for fishing bait, having their blood taken by the biomedical industry, and loss of habitat.

The ASMFC is a deliberative body made up of representatives from the 15 U.S. states on the Atlantic Coast. It was formed to coordinate and manage sustainable use of fishery resources  including marine (saltwater) fish, shellfish, and anadromous fish (migratory fish that return to fresh water for spawning).

For a decade, ASMFC has prohibited harvesting female horseshoe crabs for bait in Delaware Bay, while allowing up to 500,000 male crabs to be taken each year. However, in 2022 the Commission began the process for implementing a new Adaptive Resource Management (ARM) plan that would have allowed an annual harvest of 150,000 female crabs. That plan was based on the supposition that both horseshoe crab and Red Knot populations had recovered.

Why We Oppose the New ARM and Increasing Horseshoe Crab Harvest
The Littoral Society and partners opposed that plan for a number of reasons, including:

• The ASMFC ignored its own guidance on what indicates it's safe to resume harvesting female horseshoe crabs. In 1998, the ASMFC adopted a fishery management plan for the horseshoe crab harvest with a goal to maintain sustainable levels of spawning stock. Later, it was agreed that the prohibition on harvesting female horseshoe crabs would not be lifted until the Delaware Bay region hosts at least 81,900 Red Knots or 11.2 million female horseshoe crabs. Neither of those targets has been reached. 
• The new ARM replaced real, on-the-ground data, in favor of biased predictive modeling. Annual bird counts indicate that significantly fewer migratory shorebirds are passing through the bay than the models estimate. For example, in 2023 approximately 22,000 red knots were counted on the bay, yet the models estimated that approximately 39,000 birds stopped over. Moreover, even if these models were correct, the estimated number is still less than half of the original threshold set by the ASMFC to lift the ban on female crab harvests. 
• The ARM does not consider egg density data in creating a predictive model. It is widely agreed that horseshoe crab eggs are the main source of food for migrating shorebirds coming through Delaware Bay and that the availability of those eggs is directly connected to the success of the Red Knot species. Yet, egg density data is completely ignored in development of the new ARM model. Furthermore, recent egg density data shows that Delaware Bay currently has approximately 5,000 eggs per square meter, compared to the 50,000 egg/square meter availability that occurred before the horseshoe crab became drastically over harvested. The most relevant data, which clearly demonstrates horseshoe crabs have not recovered enough, is not even part of the ARM model.
• ASMFC's lack of transparency. Changes to the ARM were made without meaningful public input and attempts to point out fatal flaws in the ARM model have simply been dismissed in order to prioritize small, short-term gains for the fishing industry over the survival of critical species and the economic benefits connected to them. As an example, studies indicate that the revenue equivalent for turning horseshoe crabs into bait for eels, catfish, and conch (which the ASMFC is charged with managing) is about $100,000 annually, while eco-tourism focused on Delaware Bay's migratory shorebirds was worth $34 million a year in New Jersey's Cape May County alone.

Here's How You Can Get Involved:
Tune In Virtually: The workshop can be watched via the following link - https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/rt/2272752547720361053. Or, participants can listen by dialing 877-568-4108, access code: 607-255-530. While comments won't be possible, listening in demonstrates public interest in the issue.
Spread Awareness: Share information about the workshop and the importance of horseshoe crab conservation with your friends and family. Social media can be a powerful tool!
Stay Informed: Visit the American Littoral Society's website for ongoing updates on horseshoe crab management and future opportunities to get involved.

Horseshoe crabs are a vital part of our coastal ecosystem. By taking action now, we can ensure their survival for generations to come!

The Littoral Society would like to thank members and supporters who have helped make possible our continuing work to protect horseshoe crabs and shorebirds. Your backing played a major role in convincing New Jersey's legislature in 2008 to pass a ban on taking any horseshoe crabs, with exemptions for biomedical use, including research and the development vaccines. You also stood with us after Hurricane Sandy when we began restoring Delaware Bay beaches to ensure they were suitable for horseshoe crab spawning. And you raised your voice with ours in 2022 when we joined with partner organizations to mount a public-comment campaign that played a big role in convincing the AFSMC to keep in place limits on horseshoe crab harvest outside of New Jersey waters.

If you share our concern for the future of these living fossils and the birds that depend on them, please consider giving to the American Littoral Society.