Section 12. Horseshoe Crab (Limulus polyphemus)

• Main Author: Chesapeake Bay Fmp
• Other Authors: The Pennsylvania State University CiteSeerX Archives
• Format: Text
• Language: English
• Subjects: Arctic; Hudson; Calidris canutus; Red Knot
• Online Access: http://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/summary?doi=10.1.1.591.3405; http://www.dnr.state.md.us/fisheries/fmp/2012/Section_12_Horseshoe_Crab.pdf

There is an ecological relationship between horseshoe crabs and migratory shorebirds, particularly the red knot (Calidris canutus rufa). Migratory shorebirds rely on horseshoe crab eggs as food on their spring migration to their Arctic breeding grounds. This relationship prompted the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission’s (ASMFC) Management Board to implement an Adaptive Resource Management (ARM) framework. The ARM framework incorporates the biological requirements of the horseshoe crab and red knot populations along with the bait fishery and biomedical industry 1. Survey data indicate that mid-Atlantic horseshoe crab abundance has been increasing while Hudson River and New England populations have declined 1,2. Although mid-Atlantic 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 prohibited the harvest of horseshoe crabs during the spawning season as a conservation measure for protecting their eggs and providing an important food resource for shorebirds. The plan established a spawning stock census of horseshoe crabs, stricter harvest reporting standards, and a