Learn more about state’s horseshoe crabs Thursday

The Delaware Bay is home to an estimated 30 million horseshoe crabs, making it the world’s largest breeding ground for this species, and a state agency wants to inform the public more on these critters.

The Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control (DNREC), through its Division of Fish and Wildlife, will hold a public meeting on the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission (ASMFC) horseshoe crab management plan on Thursday, March 27.

The meeting will take place from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. at the Little Creek Hunter Education Training Center, located at 3018 Bayside Drive in Dover.

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The meeting will focus on proposed changes to the ASMFC’s horseshoe crab management plan, including allowing the ASMFC Management Board to set specifications for male-only harvests over multiple years.

Discussion topics will also cover potential male-only harvest limits, seasonal restrictions, and harvest caps for Maryland and Virginia.

These proposed changes stem from a workshop held last year in Lewes, which brought together stakeholders from various sectors, including commercial harvesters, conservationists, biomedical representatives, and fishery managers, to discuss the future of the Delaware Bay-origin horseshoe crab fishery.