Before the meeting of state Marine Fisheries Council the debate over using the horseshoe crabs is reaching to different point. Commercial fishing advocates argue that a limited harvest of only male crabs should be allowed which was upheld last year by a Delaware state court. They want this should be allowed without further endangering red knots, migratory shorebird that feed on crab eggs along Delaware Bay.
Biologists from Department of Environmental Protection are concerned about the population of shorebird which shows sign of decline in recent years. David Chanda, Director of state Division of fish & Wildlife, said that the ability of shorebird to gain weight has decreased and the density of crab eggs has also shown no sign of improvement.
Glenn Gauvry of the Ecological Research and Development Group, informed that the population of horseshoe crab is stable and shows sign of increasing. He points out that the present population of horseshoe crab would make Delaware lawmakers to think over harvest moratorium that was placed last year.
On the other hand the fishermen a wildlife management plan of their own. Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission has sanctioned male-only crabbing seasons under a management plan. The fishermen of New Jersey want such plan of their own. It is observed that the industry generates $11 million to $15 million annually and employs up to 370 fishermen and dockworkers from Massachusetts to Virginia.
Now it is difficult to set the harvest limits of horseshoe crab. Amanda Dey, biologist from Department of Environmental Protection, heads the state’s red knot monitoring programme. She said that removing any part of the crab population could minimize its genetic diversity. Shorebird advocates says that every crab egg possible should be on the beaches for the birds. According to them even a limited crab harvest is very risky.
