Image
Red Knots and Horseshoe Crabs
Annapolis, MD

Fisheries Commission Rejects Delaware Bay Female Horseshoe Crab Harvest Proposal

The Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission ( ASMFC) decided against allowing a bait harvest of female horseshoe crabs in Delaware Bay in 2025, maintaining a
Image
Red Knots and Horseshoe Crabs
CHARLESTON, SC

Defenders of Wildlife Statement on Dismissal of Challenge to Cape Romain Refuge Management

Defenders of Wildlife celebrates today the dismissal of a challenge by the state of South Carolina to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s authority to
Image
Horseshoe crabs on beach
Charleston, S.C.

Defenders Joins Forces with Conservation Groups in Suit to Dismiss State Challenge in Cape Romain

The Southern Environmental Law Center has filed a motion to intervene and a motion to dismiss on behalf of the South Carolina Coastal Conservation League

More Horseshoe Crab Press Releases

Image
Lone horseshoe crab
Long Branch, NJ

Fisheries Commission Takes Cautious Approach on Proposal That Threatens Red Knots in Delaware Bay

Conservation groups, including Defenders of Wildlife, commended today’s decision by the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission to forego, for now, authorizing a bait harvest of female horseshoe crabs in Delaware Bay, where the crabs’ eggs fuel a globally significant stopover habitat for migratory shorebirds.
Image
Red knots and horseshoe crabs
Cape May, NJ

Conservation Groups Demand Transparency on Horseshoe Crab Proposal Ahead of Commission Vote

Conservation groups sent a letter to the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission this week strongly urging the body not to move forward with a proposal that would likely renew the killing of female horseshoe crabs for use as fishing bait.
Image
Red knots and horseshoe crabs
Cape May, NJ

Delaware Bay Red Knot Shorebird Numbers Remain Historically Low Despite Modest Increase

The Delaware Bay Shorebird Project, which has assessed shorebird numbers in the region for 26 years, found that the threatened red knot shorebird’s numbers remained at historically low levels in 2022.
Image
Horshoe crabs
Charleston, SC

New Report: SC Horseshoe Crab’s Sharp Decline Can—and Must—Be Reversed

Defenders of Wildlife published a new in-depth report on the decline of horseshoe crabs in South Carolina, urging the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources (SCDNR) to take concrete steps to intervene.
Image
Lone Horseshoe Crab
Washington, DC

Fisheries Commission Board Advances Horseshoe Crab Proposal That Threatens Red Knot Shorebird

A horseshoe crab management board within the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission accepted a proposal today that poses a significant threat to the red knot, a declining migratory shorebird whose numbers reached a record low in Delaware Bay last spring.
Senior Vice President, External Affairs
lsheehan@defenders.org
(202) 772-3244
Communications Director
mdewane@defenders.org
(202) 772-0217
Communications Specialist
jcovey@defenders.org
Communications Specialist
jpetrequin@defenders.org
(202) 772-0243