June 17, 2025 — The following was released by the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission:
The Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission’s Horseshoe Crab Management Board is in process of re-configuring its Advisory Panel (AP). As part of that process, the Board is seeking nominations for non-traditional stakeholders. Examples of such stakeholders include, but are not limited to, environmental organizations, grassroots organizations, and individuals/groups with an interest in shorebirds or horseshoe crab conservation.
The intent of this action is to broaden the scope of public input to the Horseshoe Crab Management Board (Board) as it considers possible changes to the management program for the Delaware Bay region commercial horseshoe crab fishery. In July 2024, responding to substantial public input regarding the Adaptive Resource Management Framework Revision, the Commission convened a multi-stakeholder workshop to explore potential future objectives and management approaches for the Delaware Bay horseshoe crab fishery. One of the consensus recommendations from the workshop was to evaluate the Horseshoe Crab AP to determine if it has adequate representation across stakeholder groups, including fishing, biomedical, and environmental conservation interests. The Commission believes that input from non-traditional stakeholders will strengthen its efforts in successfully managing horseshoe crab. The Board has not determined the makeup of the revised AP but has committed to expanding the non-traditional stakeholder participation on the panel.
Interested stakeholders can fill-in and submit a nomination form (https://asmfc.org/resources/
For more information, please contact Tina Berger, Director of Communications, at tberger@asmfc.org.