Call for Horseshoe Crab Take Moratorium

The rufa subspecies of the Red Knot is in danger of extinction, according to Larry Niles, Chief Biologist for New Jersey’s Department of Fish and Game, and many other scientists. The decline of this shorebird is due primarily to the overfishing of horseshoe crabs for use as bait in conch and eel pots, prompting conservationists from around the world to call for a moratorium on the harvesting of these ancient creatures.

Each spring, the Red Knot makes a nearly 10,000 mile migration from its wintering grounds at the southern tip of Argentina to its breeding grounds in the Arctic. Along with other migrating shorebirds, the knot times its migration to coincide with horseshoe crab spawning in Delaware Bay. In a matter of days, the birds must double their weight by gorging themselves on crab eggs if they are to complete the final leg of this marathon journey.

The decline in the Red Knot tracks the dramatic increase in the take of horseshoe crabs that started in the early 1990s, and the resulting decrease in the supply of crab eggs. According to scientists, the number of Red Knots stopping in the bay has dropped from approximately 100,000 in 1989 to fewer than 15,000 in 2004.

Conservation organizations, led by ABC, New Jersey Audubon, and Defenders of Wildlife, have called for an emergency moratorium on the take of horseshoe crabs in Delaware Bay, to be kept in place until both the horseshoe crabs and the knot have recovered. There is currently a ban on the take of horseshoe crabs during the peak shorebird migration period and horseshoe crab spawning season, but conservationists believe this is insufficient to save the knot. Although New Jersey responded to the crisis by extending this year’s ban by two weeks, this extension has now ended and crabs are once again being caught, diminishing the supply of egg-laying females for next year.

Unfortunately, it appears that the States of New Jersey and Delaware are unwilling to take further action at this time, and Maryland and Virginia have taken no action at all to reduce horseshoe crab take in response to the new shorebird data.

Shorebird advocates are exploring various options to address the dire situation facing the Red Knot and horseshoe crab. The congressional delegations of New Jersey and Delaware have been engaged, and possible actions could include introducing legislation to buy out the horseshoe crab fishermen.

Another alternative is to ask FWS to consider an emergency listing of the Red Knot under the Endangered Species Act, as proposed by Delaware Governor, Ruth Ann Minner. Interior Secretary Gale Norton entertained the possibility of a listing in a recent Washington Post interview.

Subscribers to BirdWire, ABC’s action alert system, were invited to send an email to the Governors of New Jersey and Delaware, requesting a moratorium on crab take, and bringing attention to the economic benefits that large numbers of birders bring to the two states each year when they come to Delaware Bay to witness the migration spectacle. Some 1,900 emails were sent by concerned members of the public. On June 30, New Jersey legislators sent a letter to Interior Secretary Norton requesting immediate action to prevent the extinction of the Red Knot.