Number: 2001-10
WHEREAS, the Delaware Bay is the center of the horseshoe crab population along the Atlantic coast; and
WHEREAS, the Delaware Bay is a critical stop over for hundreds of thousands of migratory shorebirds during their journey from South America to the Arctic; and
WHEREAS, horseshoe crab eggs provide a critical food source for at least 15 species of shorebirds, and the crabs themselves are a critical food source for adult and juvenile Loggerhead sea turtles; and
WHEREAS, recent data indicate a severe decline in horseshoe crabs and a potentially significant decline in western hemisphere populations of migratory shorebird species that depend on the horseshoe crab eggs for food (red knot, sanderling, ruddy turnstone, semipalmated sandpiper); and
WHEREAS, reported horseshoe crab landings (harvests) have sharply increased in recent years; and
WHEREAS, horseshoe crabs do not reach sexual maturity for 8-10 years, leaving them extremely vulnerable to overexploitation; and
WHEREAS, federal and mid-Atlantic states fishery managers have committed to develop a coast-wide fisheries management plan designed to ensure a sustainable population of horseshoe crab; and
WHEREAS, financial and staff demands associated with the horseshoe crab/shorebird research and management needs, require additional resources beyond what existing state and federal fish and wildlife agencies can currently support; and
WHEREAS, state and federal agencies and non-governmental organizations have committed to work together to address funding needs to support priority management, research, and habitat protection activities for the conservation and protection of horseshoe crabs and migratory shorebirds; and
WHEREAS, the U.S. Secretary of Commerce has recently responded to concerns expressed by the National Marine Fisheries Service, the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission, and the governors of New Jersey, Delaware, and Maryland over the vulnerability of the fishery and designated a horseshoe crab “sanctuary” in waters outside the Delaware Bay, creating a “no-take zone”;
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the National Wildlife Federation, at its Annual Meeting assembled April 4-6, 2001 in Washington, DC, hereby acknowledges;
- the critical ecological contribution of horseshoe crabs within the Delaware Bay region,
- that despite the need for further study, sufficient scientific evidence exists to support the need for immediate conservation measures,
- the need for support of the regional cap on horseshoe crab harvests imposed by the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission,
- the need for all affected states to comply with the Horseshoe Crab Fishery Management Plan,
- the need for appropriate funding levels for research and conservation initiatives to ensure proper management of the fishery, and
- its strong support for the designation of a horseshoe crab sanctuary outside the mouth of the Delaware Bay.