Horseshoe Crab Draft Addendum IX

In October 2024, the Horseshoe Crab Management Board (Board) initiated Draft Addendum IX, which will consider adding an additional specifications tool that would allow for male-only harvest limits to be set for multiple years for the Delaware Bay area states (New Jersey, Delaware, Maryland, and Virginia). The Draft Addendum responds to recommendations from the Horseshoe Crab Management Objectives Workshop held in July 2024. The Workshop convened a small group of stakeholders to explore management objectives for the Delaware Bay-origin horseshoe crab fishery. The workshop participants recommended the Board establish an interim solution to maintain male-only harvest while changes to the Adaptive Resource Management (ARM) Framework are explored to better align the model with stakeholder values.

The ARM Framework was adopted in 2012 to manage the Delaware Bay region horseshoe crab bait fishery with consideration of horseshoe crab’s important role in the ecosystem as a food source for migratory shorebirds. Established through Addendum VII, the ARM Framework incorporates both shorebird and horseshoe crab abundance levels to set optimized harvest levels for horseshoe crabs of Delaware Bay origin. Since 2013, the Board has annually reviewed recommended harvest levels from the ARM model, and specified harvest levels for the following year in the four Delaware Bay states. In 2021, a revision to the ARM Framework was completed to update and improve the ARM model with an additional decade of data on shorebirds and horseshoe crabs in the Delaware Bay region and advancements in modeling software and techniques. The Board adopted the revised ARM Framework for setting harvest specifications for the Delaware Bay region under Addendum VIII in November 2022.

The ARM Framework was adopted in 2012 to manage the Delaware Bay region horseshoe crab bait fishery with consideration of horseshoe crab’s important role in the ecosystem as a food source for migratory shorebirds. Established through Addendum VII, the ARM Framework incorporates both shorebird and horseshoe crab abundance levels to set optimized harvest levels for horseshoe crabs of Delaware Bay origin. Since 2013, the Board has annually reviewed recommended harvest levels from the ARM model, and specified harvest levels for the following year in the four Delaware Bay states. In 2021, a revision to the ARM Framework was completed to update and improve the ARM model with an additional decade of data on shorebirds and horseshoe crabs in the Delaware Bay region and advancements in modeling software and techniques. The Board adopted the revised ARM Framework for setting harvest specifications for the Delaware Bay region under Addendum VIII in November 2022.

The Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission has scheduled a public hearing to gather input on the draft addendum:

To ensure fair opportunity for public input, ASMFC offers opportunities for verbal comments on certain actions. Written comments are accepted following a specific timeline for inclusion in meeting materials. Read the guidelines for more information.

• Caitlin Starks, Senior Fishery Management Plan Coordinator, cstarks@asmfc.org or 703.842.0740