Section 12. Horseshoe Crab (Limulus polyphemus)

• Main Authors: Chesapeake Bay Fmp, The Asmfc, Management Board, Adaptive Resource
• Other Authors: The Pennsylvania State University CiteSeerX Archives
• Format: Text
• Language: English
• Subjects: Arctic; Red Knot
• Online Access: http://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/summary?doi=10.1.1.396.1606; http://www.dnr.state.md.us/fisheries/fmp/2011/Section_12_Horseshoe_Crab.pdf

Management (ARM) framework. The draft framework will be made available for public comment by fall of 2012. Based on recent survey data, the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission (ASMFC) has concluded that mid-Atlantic horseshoe crab abundance has been increasing. 1,2 Reduced exploitation of mid-Atlantic horseshoe crab populations is credited for the increased abundance. There is an ecological relationship between horseshoe crabs and shorebirds, particularly red knots. Migratory shorebirds rely on horseshoe crab eggs as food on their spring migration to their Arctic breeding grounds. Although horseshoe crab abundance has increased, red knot abundance remains depressed. The Chesapeake Bay and Atlantic Coast Horseshoe Crab Fishery Management Plan (CBFMP) was adopted in 1994. The CBFMP prohibits the harvest of horseshoe crabs during a specific season to protect loggerhead turtles and shorebirds that rely on horseshoe crabs and their eggs for food. The plan established a spawning stock census of horseshoe crabs, stricter harvest reporting standards, and a program to