Education

Horseshoe Crab Conservation
The Interstate Fishery Management Plan


The Interstate Fishery Management Plan for Horseshoe Crabs was approved by the ASMFC on October 22, 1998. The FMP is designed as a tool to guide individual States to conserve and protect the horseshoe crab resource at a population that sustains its ecological and economic benefits. Contained within the FMP are requirements for managing the horseshoe crab harvests and monitoring populations.

2010 Review of the Fishery Management Plan in 2009 for Horseshoe Crab (Limulus polyphemus)

The Fishery Management Plan for Horseshoe Crab (Limulus polyphemus)

Addendums

Requirements and recommendation highlights of the Horseshoe Crab FMP Addendum I, April 2000 include:

  • States must reduce horseshoe crab landings to 25% below their reference period landings.
  • States with more restrictive harvest limits are encouraged to maintain those limits.
  • Recommended the NMFS to close the harvest of horseshoe crabs for any purpose in Federal waters within a 30 nautical mile radius of the mouth of the Delaware Bay
  • Encourage the NMFS to establish a horseshoe crab sanctuary at the mouth of the Delaware Bay estuary.
    •

    Recommendations of Horseshoe Crab FMP Addendum II, May 2001 include:

  • Allow for the voluntary transfer of harvest quotas between states.
    •

    Requirements and recommendation highlights of the Horseshoe Crab FMP Addendum III, May 2004 include:

  • New Jersey and Delaware are restricted from harvesting greater than 150,000 horseshoe crabs each per year.
  • Maryland is restricted from harvesting greater than its 2001 landings (170,653 horseshoe crabs) per year.
  • All other states restricted from harvesting greater than their respective quotas on bait landings as established in Addendum I
  • New Jersey, Delaware, and Maryland shall prohibit the harvest and landing of horseshoe crabs for bait from May 1 through June 7.
  • Monitoring requirements were updated and expanded.
    •

    Requirements and recommendation highlights of the Horseshoe Crab FMP Addendum IV, June 2006 only apply to New Jersey, Delaware, Maryland, and Virginia and include:

  • Direct harvest and landings of horseshoe crabs prohibited in New Jersey and Delaware  from January 1 through June 7, and female horseshoe crabs from June 8 through December 31.
  • Quota for New Jersey and Delaware reduced to 100,000 horseshoe crabs each per year.
  • Maryland is prohibited from direct harvesting and landing horseshoe crabs from January 1 through June 7.
  • Virginia is prohibited from landing horseshoe crabs in federal waters from January 1 through June 7.

    • Requirements and recommendation highlights of the Horseshoe Crab FMP Addendum V, September 2008 include:

  • Extend provisions of Addendum IV for one year.
    •

    Requirements and recommendation highlights of the Horseshoe Crab FMP Addendum VI, August 2010 include:

  • Extend provisions of Addendum V until April 30, 2013.
    •

    For the most up-to-date information on the FMP for horseshoe crabs see
    the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission (ASMFC) website.
    http://www.asmfc.org/

    Place cursor over highlighted terms for definitions
    or use the glossary.
    Additional references.