Arlington, VA – Four public hearings have been scheduled to gather input on Draft Addendum IX to the Interstate Fishery Management Plan for Horseshoe Crab. The Draft Addendum considers allowing the Board to set specifications for male-only harvest for multiple years. It also considers options for managing male-only harvest limits, seasonal harvest restrictions, and harvest caps for Maryland and Virginia. Public hearings are open to all, regardless of state residency. See attached document for hearing details.
Draft Addendum IX responds to recommendations from the July 2024 Horseshoe Crab Management Objectives Workshop, which 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. Additionally, the Draft Addendum proposes a method for setting maximum male harvest limits in years when the ARM Framework is not used to recommend harvest limits based on Delaware Bay region spawning survey data.
Regarding harvest season closures for the Delaware Bay region states, Draft Addendum IX includes two options: to maintain the current season closure requirement from May 1 through June 7 or reestablish a longer closure from January 1 through June 7. This longer season was implemented under Addenda IV through VI but was inadvertently omitted from later Addenda. Additionally, the Draft Addendum includes options to provide a standard for the application of the harvest caps for Maryland and Virginia established by Addenda VII and VIII.