Saving Seafood

Horseshoe Crab Board Approves Addendum IX Addendum Allows Multi-Year Specifications for Male-Only Harvest

May 8, 2025 — The following was released by the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission:

The Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission’s Horseshoe Crab Management Board approved Addendum IX to the Interstate Fishery Management Plan for Horseshoe Crabs. The Addendum allows the Board to set specifications for male-only harvest. It also establishes a method for managing male-only harvest limits during multi-year specifications periods, reestablishes seasonal harvest restrictions, and clarifies policy related to harvest caps for Maryland and Virginia.

Addendum IX responds to recommendations from the July 2024 Horseshoe Crab Management Objectives Workshop, which convened a group of stakeholders to explore management objectives for the Delaware Bay-origin horseshoe crab fishery. Workshop participants recommended the Board establish an interim solution to maintain male-only harvest while changes to the Adaptive Resource Management (ARM) Framework are explored to better align the model with stakeholder values.

The Addendum allows the Board to set multi-year specifications for up to three years until 2031 based on the ARM Framework. In interim years when the ARM is not used, the Board will manage maximum male harvest limits based on Delaware Bay region spawning survey data.  Addendum IX also reestablishes a harvest closure for the Delaware Bay region states from January 1 through June 7. Lastly, the Addendum clarifies the policy included in Addenda VII and VIII for applying Maryland and Virginia harvest caps; these caps further restrict harvest for Maryland and Virginia when female harvest is implemented in the Delaware Bay region.

Addendum IX will be available on the Commission website at https://asmfc.org/species/horseshoe-crab/ by next week. For more information, please contact Caitlin Starks, Senior Fishery Management Coordinator, at cstarks@asmfc.org or 703.842.0740.

Read the release from the ASMFC 

 

DELAWARE: Conservationists and fishing industry wrangle over how or whether to protect horseshoe crabs

April 11, 2025 — Delaware conservationists and the commercial fishing industry are still searching for ways of protecting horseshoe crabs and the species that depend on them while allowing fishermen to make their living without being further restricted by state quotas.

Ahead of the springtime arrival of thousands of horseshoe crabs to spawn on Delaware beaches, environmentalists and some state lawmakers are discussing a possible bill that would ban the harvest of the ancient creatures in Delaware waters.

But the case for banning the harvest for bait – as New Jersey did in its waters more than a decade ago — is weakened by data from several credible sources showing that the population of the ancient creatures in Delaware Bay is increasing, thanks to a ban on the harvesting of female crabs imposed since 2012 by the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission, a federal regulator.

Still, it’s not clear whether growing numbers of horseshoe crabs spawning on the beaches are also increasing the quantity of crab eggs that sustain shore birds, notably the red knot, during their globe-spanning migrations. Egg-density, a crucial measure of the crabs’ ability to feed the birds, is still just a fraction of what it was before red knot numbers crashed starting in the late 1990s when too many horseshoe crabs were removed from bay beaches by the commercial fishing industry.

The knot’s failure to recover in any significant way since then was cited by the commission in its decision for the last two years to continue its ban on harvesting female crabs, while issuing quotas to Delaware and the three other bay states – New Jersey, Maryland and Virginia – for the harvest of the far more numerous male crabs.

After deciding for the last two fishing seasons against allowing the female harvest to resume, the commission is now considering extending that for multiple years, and held a public hearing last month to gather comments.

Delaware’s Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control, which implements horseshoe crab quotas set by the commission, said it remains opposed to any restart of the female harvest.

Read the full article at Delaware Public Media

ASMFC proposes interim plan for male-only horseshoe crab harvesting

February 24, 2025 –A new draft plan from the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission (ASMFC) would allow regulators to set a multi-year male-only harvest of Delaware Bay horseshoe crabs while the commission updates the computer model it uses to manage the species.

Horseshoe crabs are primarily harvested for their blood, which is used for biomedical testing by the pharmaceutical industry – although they are also used as bait.

Read the full article at SeafoodSource

Horseshoe Crab Board Approves Draft Addendum IX for Public Comment to Consider Multi-Year Specifications for Male-Only Harvest

February 5, 2025 — The following was released by the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission:

The Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission’s Horseshoe Crab Management Board approved Draft Addendum IX for public comment. The Draft Addendum considers allowing the Board to set specifications for male-only harvest for multiple years. It also considers alternative methods for managing male-only harvest limits, seasonal harvest restrictions, and harvest caps for Maryland and Virginia.

Draft Addendum IX responds to recommendations from the July 2024 Horseshoe Crab Management Objectives Workshop, which convened a group of stakeholders to explore management objectives for the Delaware Bay-origin horseshoe crab fishery. The workshop participants recommended the Board establish an interim solution to maintain male-only harvest while changes to the Adaptive Resource Management (ARM) Framework are explored to better align the model with stakeholder values. Additionally, the Draft Addendum proposes an alternative method for setting maximum male harvest limits based on Delaware Bay region spawning survey data in years when the ARM Framework is not used.
Regarding seasonal closures for the Delaware Bay region states, Draft Addendum IX includes two options: to maintain the current seasonal closure of May 1 through June 7 or reestablish the longer closure from January 1 through June 7. The Board also added options to the Draft Addendum to establish a rule for applying Maryland and Virginia harvest caps included in Addenda VII and VIII.
A press release will follow with details on the public hearing schedule and how to submit written comments. The Board will meet to review submitted comments and consider final action on the addendum at its next meeting. For more information, please contact Caitlin Starks, Senior Fishery Management Coordinator, at cstarks@asmfc.org or 703.842.0740.

NEW YORK: Environmentalists Outraged Over Hochul’s Horseshoe Crab Bill Veto

December 27, 2024 — Environmentalists are outraged over Gov. Kathy Hochul’s recent decision to veto the Horseshoe Crab Protection Act, which prohibits the taking of horseshoe crabs from New York waters. The legislation would have allowed the populations to recover and ensured the survival of the important species, advocated said.

In her veto message, Hochul wrote: “This bill would prohibit the taking of horseshoe crabs for commercial or biomedical purposes and also extend the authority of the Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) to manage crabs.”

She added: “DEC has significant rules and regulations regarding commercial and recreational fishing in the state and adheres to the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission management plans to ensure healthy coastal fishery resources. DEC has already announced four lunar closures for the upcoming year to address concerns about overharvesting the horseshoe crab population.”

Also, Hochul said: “This bill could have unintended consequences on the management of other species such as whelk and eel, and could harm the commercial fishing industry and impair advancements in the biomedical field. While this bill is well-intentioned, the management of marine species is better left to the experts at DEC.”

She urged the legislature to restore DEC’s specific authority to regulate crabs, and said she was “directing DEC to evaluate and implement further administrative measures to protect this species pursuant to its broad authority to protect and regulate the state’s marine resources. Therefore, I am constrained to veto this bill.”

Read the full article at The Patch

Horseshoe Crabs, Bled For Vaccines, At Center Of MD Lawsuit

June 5, 2024 – June is a peak month for the horseshoe crab’s migration along the East Coast, following the high tides of each new and full moon. The annual movement of these “living fossils” dates back about 350 million years, so it’s believed to be the world’s oldest and largest wildlife migration.

But in a new lawsuit, an endangered species watchdog group says these crabs are in big trouble and the Maryland Department of Natural Resources (DNR) isn’t being transparent about how many are killed each year.

The horseshoe crab is a “valuable commodity to humans,” according to DNR, because its copper-based blood is used for biomedical research. Their blood is used to detect toxins in drugs and medical devices. In 2021, Chesapeake Bay Magazine reported on their key role in developing COVID-19 vaccines, among others.

As DNR explains, the animals are fished for medical use by specially permitted fishing operations. Their blood is drawn in a biomedical facility and they are released back into the water. But environmental groups raise questions about how many of those released horseshoe crabs can survive and thrive.

Read the full article at the Chesapeake Bay Magazine 

MARYLAND: Lawsuit alleges Maryland wildlife authorities withheld data on horseshoe crabs

June 3, 2024 — Maryland wildlife managers are accused in a new lawsuit of keeping data secret from environmental groups seeking to protect a unique coastal crab species that is harvested for critical biomedical products.

The species is the horseshoe crab. High-value blood taken from the crabs is used to create products that protect medicines, vaccines and medical devices from contamination.

Read the full article at WFAA

 

MASSACHUSETTS: Safe to reproduce: horseshoe crabs enjoy new protections on local beaches

June 3, 2024 — At Stage Harbor in Chatham, Derek Perry, the state’s horseshoe crab biologist, walks the shoreline, counting how many horseshoe crabs fall within a 25-square-meter area.

It’s not an easy task, especially when the males in the group are clamoring to reach the limpet-and-seaweed encrusted females. But after a few moments, he’s satisfied with the count.

“That’s 67 crabs in a five-by-five-square-meter quadrat,” Perry said. “So it’s a fair number.”

Of them, 61 are male, and each is trying to latch onto one of the six females in the area. According to Perry, it’s pretty easy to identify the sex of a horseshoe crab at a distance, because the females are 30% bigger, and the males form a “conga line” behind them.

Read the full article at CAI

Conservation efforts being made to save Maryland horseshoe crabs. Here’s why it’s important.

May 23, 2024 — Conservation efforts are in the works to save endangered horseshoe crabs as they begin migration onto Maryland beaches.

Protecting the horseshoe crab is crucial as the ancient species play a vital role in the aquatic ecosystem and the field of medicine.

“They will be coming in with the full moons and laying eggs on the beaches,” said Toni Kerns, a fisheries policy director.

From May through July, female horseshoe crabs will lay about 20,000 eggs.

“Their eggs are a food source for migrating shorebirds,” Kerns said. “They are also preyed upon by larger species like sharks and sea turtles.”

Read the full article at CBS News

Horseshoe crabs, prized by the biomedical industry for their blood, to get new protections in Massachusetts

March 20, 2024 — As the weather warms each year on Cape Cod, an ancient species older than dinosaurs crawls up just below the sandy shores to spawn. Then in the midst of their mass mating event, the unlucky ones are plucked up by fishermen and pharmaceutical companies alike: Horseshoe crabs as good for bait as they are for testing new vaccines using their bright blue blood.

But this year, horseshoe crabs in Massachusetts will return to uninhibited procreation. For the first time, the state will ban collecting the crabs during the animal’s spawning season.

Massachusetts’ protections for the crabs have long lagged behind other states with biomedical fisheries. The new ban will put Massachusetts on the other side of the spectrum with among the strictest regulations on horseshoe crab harvesting in the country. The controversial ban was approved Tuesday after a commission that represents the fishing industry gave its blessing; the regulation still awaits final approval by the governor, which is expected this spring.

The blood of horseshoe crabs, which are more similar to scorpions or spiders than crabs, is the main ingredient in an important pharmaceutical test to determine whether vaccines are safe to administer to humans. Their blood has been used to test vaccines for contamination since the 1970s because it naturally clots around harmful bacteria. An alternative synthetic test has been developed but has not yet been approved by US drug regulators for widespread use.

Read the full article at The Boston Globe