The annual spectacle of horseshoe crab spawning and bird feeding, which peaks during the full and new moons of May and June, attracts bird watchers to Delaware Bay from far and wide. Everything you wanted to know about horseshoe crabs but were afraid to ask. Thanks to the creative minds at Warner Elementary School Lots of information on horseshoe crab biology and conservation.
People also depend on the horseshoe crab.
Of more concern is the increasing demand for horseshoe crab for use as bait in the American eel and whelk fisheries. Inconclusive evidence suggests that horseshoe crabs are being over-fished and are in decline in Delaware Bay. The Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission determined in their Horseshoe Crab Fisheries Management Plan that more information on the population status of the crabs is needed to properly manage the fishery and afford protection to the diverse animals that depend on the crabs and their eggs for food. The Fisheries Commission mandated that the states of New Jersey, Delaware, and Maryland implement studies to monitor the population status of the crabs. Develop microsatellite DNA loci in L. polyphemus, and use microsatellite DNA markers to assess genetic population structure present in a range-wide survey among geographic populations, with emphasis placed on the Delaware Bay region.