More about Horseshoe Crab Biology
Horseshoe Crab Management
Chesapeake Bay Management of Horseshoe Crabs
An increase in the use of horseshoe crabs for eel, whelk/conch, and catfish bait has resulted in increased harvest pressure on horseshoe crabs. Maryland's harvest has been increasing steadily since the early 1990's. Therefore, in 1994, the jurisdictions of the Chesapeake Bay adopted a Chesapeake Bay and Atlantic Coast Horseshoe Crab Fishery Management Plan (FMP). Several objectives of this plan included protection of the ecological role of horseshoe crabs, development of a spawning stock monitoring program, improvement of commercial data, and delineation of spawning areas and areas that are used by migrating shorebirds. Recognizing the importance of horseshoe crab spawning habitat in Chesapeake Bay, Maryland DNR, Fisheries Service initiated a volunteer spawning beach survey in 1994. The primary goal was to document horseshoe crab spawning areas in Maryland. A secondary goal was to provide information about their relative abundance and determine whether or not this survey could be utilized to monitor the spawning population. After only four years, these programs have proven to be a great success! We have identified several spawning areas and gained a better understanding about the spawning behavior of horseshoe crabs. Reports from the spawning surveys indicate that horseshoe crabs are widely distributed throughout Maryland, but are restricted from parts of the upper Bay and its tributaries due to annual variations in salinity. We have also learned that the duration and peak of spawning activity fluctuates annually and appears to be related to water temperature.
In 1995, Maryland began a tagging program joining the efforts of a horseshoe crab bleeding company, Limuli Laboratories, located in New Jersey. Tagging information will assist biologists in learning more about the migratory and spawning behavior of horseshoe crabs. Tags are applied to adults on the left top-side of the abdomen. A total of 2,867 horseshoe crabs have been tagged by Maryland DNR and by a graduate student at the University of Maryland - Eastern Shore. Horseshoe crabs have been tagged in Chesapeake Bay (as far north as the Bay Bridge), Maryland's coastal bays, and at Bio-Whittaker Inc., a horseshoe crab bleeding facility located in Chincoteague, Virginia. If you should find a tagged horseshoe crab, record the tag number, location of observance, and condition of animal, and report this information to the phone number on the tag or to DNR (email toconnell@dnr.state.md.us or call 410-260-8271. It is not necessary to remove the tag. Those who report a tagged horseshoe crab will receive a reward.
As recently as November 17, 1997, the States of Delaware, Maryland, New Jersey, and Virginia agreed to commit the necessary resources to develop a FMP for the horseshoe crab through the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission. The States completed a cooperative regional fishery management plan in October 1998 that protects horseshoe crabs, shorebirds and the needs of a sustainable horseshoe crab fishery. DNR provided staff and scientific support for the entire FMP development process and hope our continued efforts will help in determining the appropriate harvest levels to sustain both the horseshoe crab population and shorebirds and other creatures who are dependent on horseshoe crab eggs and larvae for their survival.
Anyone who has observed any horseshoe crab spawning within Chesapeake Bay or is interested in participating in the 2000 Maryland Horseshoe Crab Spawner Survey should check out our spawner survey page, or contact survey coordinator Bennie Williams (bwilliams@dnr.state.md.us 410-260-8272)
Commercial and Recreational Fisheries
Current regulations prohibit trawling for horseshoe crabs in the Chesapeake Bay, coastal bays, and within 1 mile of the Atlantic coast. However, offshore trawling (outside of 1 mile) accounts for more than 95% of Maryland's annual harvest of horseshoe crabs. Gill nets, fyke and pound nets, and fish pots account for the remainder. Harvest by hand has not been reported. Maryland's fishery occurs from April through November with the majority of the harvest occurring in the spring and fall as horseshoe crabs migrate to and from inshore spawning areas.
Currently, a recreational fishery for horseshoe crabs does not exist in Maryland.
Please send comments on this website to Bennie Williams