ASMFC: ASMFC Horseshoe Crab Board Approves Addendum VII
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ASMFC Horseshoe Crab Board Approves Addendum VII
Addendum Implements New Multispecies Management Framework
Alexandria, VA - The Commission's Horseshoe Crab Management Board has approved
Addendum VII to the Interstate Fishery Management Plan. The Addendum implements
the Adaptive Resource Management (ARM) Framework, which incorporates both
shorebird and horseshoe crab abundance levels to set optimized horseshoe crab
harvest levels for the Delaware Bay area. The ARM Framework was developed by the
Commission, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and U.S. Geological Survey in
recognition of the relationship between horseshoe crab eggs and shorebirds in
the Delaware Bay Region. The ARM Framework was peer-reviewed in 2009 and
accepted by the Board in 2010.
The Addendum allocates the ARM harvest output among the four states (New Jersey, Delaware, Virginia, and Maryland) that harvest horseshoe crabs from the Delaware Bay population. The allocation is based upon multiple decision options,
including the proportion of horseshoe crabs harvested that originate from
Delaware Bay and allowance for additional male harvest by Virginia and Maryland
to compensate for protecting female horseshoe crabs when the ARM harvest output
includes a moratorium on female crabs. This provision will help meet bait
demands and mitigate the economic impact of a moratorium on female horseshoe
crabs.
The Delaware Bay Ecosystem Technical Committee, along with the Horseshoe Crab
and Shorebird Advisory Panels and the Law Enforcement Committee, played an
important role in developing Addendum VII.
As part of implementation, the most recent estimates of horseshoe crab and red
knot abundance will be used in the ARM Framework to estimate the optimized
harvest level for Delaware Bay crabs. The allocation prescribed within Addendum
VII will determine how the ARM optimized harvest output will be divided among
the four Delaware Bay states. Addendum VII will be implemented for the 2013
fishing season.
It will be available on the Commission's website
(www.asmfc.org) under Breaking News or by contacting the Commission at
703.842.0740. For more information, please contact Danielle Chesky, Fishery
Management Plan Coordinator, at dchesky@asmfc.org or 703.842.0740.
