The Horseshoe Crab: The Battle for a True Multiple-use Resource

Abstract

The horseshoe crab (Limulus polyphemus) is the target of a commercial bait fishery that historically has lacked coordinated, coastwide monitoring and regulation. Because the catch has increased substantially in recent years, agencies have been increasingly pressured to manage the fishery more intensively. The diversity of interests involved (birders, environmentalists, commercial fishers, biomedical companies, coastal residents, and the Delaware Bay ecotourism industry) makes management especially challenging. In particular, the conflict between environmentalists and commercial fishers has been gaining public attention. With stronger management, the horseshoe crab population likely could meet the basic needs of all users, including fishers. Further delay or avoidance of coordinated, coastwide management increases the likelihood of a serious conservation problem that would injure the horseshoe crab population as well as various stakeholders and the species dependent on it (especially migratory shorebirds). The horseshoe crab, which has survived relatively unchanged for the past 350 million years, now is at the center of a resource tug of war. Regardless of our actions, the species is likely to persist beyond the current conflict. However, our desire and ability to manage the population will determine to what extent we will be able to meet society's many needs for horseshoe crabs.