Tag Archives: Horseshoe Crab
New Regulations for Whelk and Horseshoe Crabs a Challenge for Commercial Fisheries
New state regulations intended to rebuild the whelk and horseshoe crab populations in the Long Island Sound could substantially limit the catches of local fisherman. Davis said that the department had done surveys trawling different areas of the Long Island Sound each year. Asked about the proposed regulations, Bob Guzzo, a commercial fisherman out of Stonington who catches whelk, said he thought the regulations were unnecessary, and that the department shouldn’t be involved in making them. He said that the whelks come and go in cycles. Guzzo said he believed the trawl surveys were inaccurate. >click to read< 14:16
CT DEEP Proposing New Rules For Lobster, Striped Bass, Others – The proposed regulatory changes are intended to address the “depleted state of these ecologically and economically important species in Long Island Sound,” according to DEEP officials. >click to read< 17:02
Big Read! – The Blood of the Crab
Meghan Owings plucks a horseshoe crab out of a tank and bends its helmet-shaped shell in half to reveal a soft white membrane. Owings inserts a needle and draws a bit of blood. “See how blue it is,” she says, holding the syringe up to the light. It really is. The liquid shines cerulean in the tube. When she’s done with the show and tell, Owings squirts the contents of the syringe back into the tank. I gasp. “That’s thousands of dollars!” I exclaim, and can’t help but think of the scene in Annie Hall when Woody Allen is trying cocaine for the first time and accidentally sneezes, blowing the coke everywhere. I’m not crazy for my concern. The cost of crab blood has been quoted as high as $14,000 per quart. click here to read the article 17:58
Commercial Horseshoe Crab Fishery in Del. to Close July 9
Officials say Delaware’s commercial horseshoe crab harvest is approaching this year’s quota of 154,527 horseshoe crabs, prompting DNREC’s Division of Fish & Wildlife to announce that, in accordance with Delaware law and regulations, the horseshoe crab fishery will close at 12:01 a.m., Thursday. Afterward, officials say, it is unlawful in Delaware to harvest horseshoe crabs this year. Read the rest here 11:05
Commercial crabber fined for failure to report horseshoe crab harvest
DNREC Natural Resources Police, Division of Fish and Wildlife Enforcement Agents cited commercial fisherman Travis J. Mick, 31, of Milford, for failure to report horseshoe crab landings Enforcement’s investigation found that Mick had harvested approximately 3,000 horseshoe crabs over a two-day period without reporting his take. Read more here 09:24
Horseshoe luck – Dwindling horseshoe stocks – Division of Marine Fisheries has requested additional data
To be fair, the Division of Marine Fisheries makes several good points. Hard data is preferable to anecdotal observations; the more statistical information available, the better the decision-making process. Similarly, Fisheries Director Paul Diodati makes a good argument when he notes that a ban in Wellfleet Harbor would only push the problem somewhere else. continued@capecodtimes
