For Immediate Release: March 18, 2008

Contacts:
, American Bird Conservancy, 202/234-7181 ext. 216

New Jersey Legislature Approves Measure to Protect Endangered Red Knots

Ban on Horseshoe Crab Harvest Helps Restore Crab and Bird Populations

Red Knot. Photo: Mike Parr

(Washington, D.C.) The New Jersey Senate today approved a measure to ban the harvest of horseshoe crabs in an effort to help the recovery of the Red Knot, a shorebird currently headed towards extinction.

“The action of the New Jersey legislature to protect the Red Knot is the only responsible course,” said Darin Schroeder, American Bird Conservancy’s Executive Director for Conservation Advocacy. “New Jersey is demonstrating real leadership, doing what other states and the federal government should be doing. Conserving horseshoe crabs gives the Red Knot a chance to rebound.”

Delaware Bay is a vital migratory stopover each spring for the rufa subspecies of the Red Knot and a number of other shorebirds. The knot relies almost completely on horseshoe crab eggs during its brief stopover here during its arduous migration from the tip of South America to its breeding grounds in the Canadian Arctic.

Since the 1990s, over-harvesting of horseshoe crabs has caused the density of horseshoe crab eggs to plummet, which has affected the knot’s ability to find and consume enough eggs to complete its migration and successfully breed. As a result, the rufa Red Knot has declined from a high of more than 100,000 birds in the 1980s to fewer than 15,000 today. Scientists warn that unless this trend is reversed, the birds could go extinct as early as 2010.

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American Bird Conservancy is the only organization that works solely to conserve native wild birds and their habitats throughout the Americas. ABC acts to safeguard the rarest bird species, restore habitats, and reduce threats, while building capacity in the conservation movement. ABC is the voice for birds, ensuring that they are adequately protected; that sufficient funding is available for bird conservation; and that land is protected and properly managed to maintain viable habitat. ABC is a 501(c)(3) membership organization that is consistently awarded a top, four-star rating by the independent group, Charity Navigator.