Let's work together to restore horseshoe crabs to Massachusetts' Beaches!
Let's work together to restore horseshoe crabs to Massachusetts' Beaches!
Deborah Cramer
Call or text Sharl@horseshoecrabs.org for more information. Thank you.
Please take two seconds to sign onto our Letter to the Joint Committee on Environment and Natural Resources
To sign on: send your name, organization, if applicable, and the city/town you live in to Sharl by text —617-449-8816, or email to Sharl@horseshoecrabs.org.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court assembled, and by the authority of the same, as follows:
Chapter 130 of the General Laws is hereby amended by adding the following section:-
Section 107. (a) As used in this section, the following term shall, unless the context clearly requires otherwise, have the following meaning:
“Horseshoe crab,” the species known as Limulus polyphemus.
(b) No person shall engage in the harvesting of horseshoe crabs or the eggs of horseshoe crabs from coastal waters to be used as bait.
(b) The director may authorize the taking of horseshoe crabs by permit for educational or scientific purposes; provided that, the director determines that such harvesting will not cause harm to the horseshoe crab population of coastal waters.
(c) The taking of horseshoe crabs incidentally during legal fishing operations shall not violate this section if the horseshoe crabs are returned immediately to coastal waters unharmed.
(d) Any person who violates the provisions of this section shall be fined $25 for each horseshoe crab taken from coastal waters. No penalty shall result in possessing a cast off or molted shell also known as an exoskeleton of a horseshoe crab.
(e) Pursuant to chapter 30A, the division shall promulgate rules and regulations to enforce the provisions of this section.
The Duke All Swell? team is joined by Dr. David Mizrahi, Vice President of Research and Monitoring at New Jersey Audubon. David is also one of the founders of the Horseshoe Crab Recovery Coalition, an organization dedicated to ensuring the future of the American Horseshoe Crab.
In this episode we hear from David about the surprising connection between two species: the Atlantic horseshoe crab and an endangered shorebird, the Red Knot. We learn about Red Knot migration, their reliance on horseshoe crab eggs, and how human industries have interfered with these populations. David shares insight about how the Coalition is working to protect the American horseshoe crab and how listeners can get involved.
To learn more about the Horseshoe Crab Recovery Coalition, visit https://hscrabrecovery.org/.