Changes proposed to horseshoe crab harvest regulations
A virtual public hearing on proposed revisions to state code related to the harvesting of horseshoe crabs has been scheduled for Thursday, March 23.
According to a March 2 public notice from Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control, the revisions are being done to comply with the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission’s recently approved addendum to its Horseshoe Crab Fishery Management Plan.
One revision includes changing from a volume-based daily possession limit – 300 cubic feet – to a possession limit based on number – 3,000 per day.
John Clark, Division of Fish and Wildlife Fisheries Section administrator, said the volume-based possession limit was enacted in 1998 and is an artifact of the fishery at that time.
The limit was based on the volume of a pickup truck that had high wooden sides installed around the bed, which greatly increased the volume since horseshoe crabs are not heavy for their size, said Clark. These pickup trucks were used to transport horseshoe crabs during the harvest season before there was a quota and also during the early years of a quota when the quota was much higher than it is now, he said.
Volume-based has always been problematic because the number of horseshoe crabs varied greatly depending on how tightly they were packed, said Clark. Permittees and enforcement officials agree the proposed daily possession limit of 3,000 is a good numerical equivalent of the 300-cubic-foot possession limit and is fully enforceable, he said.
Clark said permittees already report the number of horseshoe crabs they harvest daily. Having the possession limit based on a number reflects the current operation of the fishery and allows law enforcement to have a definitive measure for enforcing violations.
Another proposed change increases the number of horseshoe crabs that can be dredged in a 24-hour period from 1,500 to 3,000.
Raising the quota standardizes the possession limit for both the hand harvest and dredge fisheries, said Clark. As with the hand harvest fishery, he said, the increase reduces the number of dredge days needed to harvest the quota after the hand harvest season.
Clark said the horseshoe crab fishery in Delaware is limited by an annual quota – 164,364 male-only in 2023 – and the proposed changes will reduce the number of days needed to reach that quota.
Proposed changes also include removing specific dates for a dredging lottery, and DNREC can set a date and time when needed.
Dredging lotteries are not uncommon. Clark said in the past decade, there were lotteries in 2014, 2016, 2020 and 2022. As per regulation, each lottery was held publicly, and five oyster harvest licensees were randomly selected and given the opportunity to purchase a horseshoe crab dredge permit, he said.
The public hearing is scheduled for 6 p.m., Thursday, March 23. The web link to the virtual meeting is found at de.gov/dnrechearings. Public comments will be accepted through Friday, April 7. For more information on the public hearing, contact Clark at 302-739-9914 or by email, John.Clark@delaware.gov.
