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From: "Bill Stewart" <bird-del...>
Sent: Wednesday, May 29, 2013 4:17 PM
To: <de-birds...>
Subject: [de-birds] Great News - New artificial bait could reduce the number
of horseshoe crabs used to catch eel and whelk
> The following Press Release from DNREC paints a brighter picture for the
> shorebirds and the horseshoe crabs in the Delaware Bay. Many
> congratulations to the University of Delaware's Nancy Targett, her team
> and to the DuPont scientists.
>
> Bill Stewart
>
>
> From: DNREC Press Releases List <michael.globetti...>
> Date: May 29, 2013 3:45:53 PM EDT
> To: DNREC Press Releases <dnrec_press_releases...>
> Subject: New artificial bait could reduce the number of horseshoe crabs
> used to catch eel and whelk
>
>
> NEWS FROM THE DELAWARE DEPARTMENT OF NATURAL RESOURCES AND ENVIRONMENTAL
> CONTROL and THE UNIVERSITY OF DELAWARE
>
> FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
> Contact: Teresa Messmore, University of Delaware, 302-757-2245, or Joanna
> Wilson, DNREC Public Affairs, 302-739-9902. Photos available.
>
> New artificial bait could reduce number of horseshoe crabs
> used to catch eel and whelk
>
> LEWES (May 29, 2013) � A new alternative bait product that will help
> reduce the number of horseshoe crabs harvested from the Delaware Bay was
> introduced today. A team of University of Delaware researchers led by Dr.
> Nancy Targett, DuPont scientists, fisheries biologists, watermen and
> conservation groups were joined by DNREC Secretary Collin O�Mara to make
> the announcement this morning at UD�s Hugh R. Sharp Campus in Lewes.
>
> For years, commercial eel and whelk fishers have dealt with a dilemma:
> They know the best bait to attract eel and whelk, locally known as conch,
> is a female horseshoe crab. However, harvest limits are in place to
> protect the Delaware Bay�s horseshoe crab population and the threatened
> migratory shorebirds that depend on their eggs as a food source.
> Commercial fishers have long worked within these limits, dividing each
> bait crab into pieces to bait multiple eel or whelk pots.
>
> �Horseshoe crabs are an ecologically and economically important species in
> the Delaware Estuary, which hosts the largest concentrations of horseshoe
> crabs in the world,� said Governor Jack Markell. �This alternative bait is
> the result of a great partnership among academic researchers, scientists,
> government, a private corporation and the commercial fisheries industry.
> By working together, they have found a solution that has great economic
> and environmental benefits, both now and for the future of bait
> development.�
>
> �Conserving and restoring horseshoe crab populations is critical to
> supporting Delaware�s shorebird migration and implementing the vision of
> the Delaware Bayshore Initiative,� said DNREC Secretary O�Mara. �By using
> this new bait developed by leading scientists at the University of
> Delaware in partnership with DNREC, watermen will be able to reduce the
> number of horseshoe crabs used to catch whelk and eel, enjoy more
> convenient bait storage, help conserve the horseshoe crab population, and
> support migratory birds that depend on horseshoe crab eggs for food. I
> applaud my predecessor, Secretary John Hughes, and Dean Nancy Targett for
> their vision to launch this innovative effort, which will provide a
> win-win for both the economy and the environment for years to come.�
>
> The new bait came after years of research, which was spurred in part by a
> surprising fact: Eel and whelk do not typically feed on adult horseshoe
> crabs in their natural environment, yet they find them hard to resist in
> baited pots.
>
> That disconnect intrigued Targett, director of Delaware Sea Grant, dean of
> UD�s College of Earth, Ocean, and Environment and an ecologist who studies
> the chemical cues that influence animal behavior in the sea. She and her
> research team set out to identify the mysterious �scent� that lures in
> eels � and come up with a bait alternative to horseshoe crabs, which have
> experienced population declines in recent decades.
>
> After years of research, Targett and her colleagues have developed a
> recipe for just such an artificial attractor that could help reduce the
> number of horseshoe crabs commercial fishermen use.
>
> �Our hope is that this new bait will meet the fishing community�s needs
> and at the same time protect the horseshoe crab,� Targett said. �Delaware
> Sea Grant�s motto is �Science Serving the Delaware Coast,� and we are
> grateful that so many partners shared in that spirit to move this project
> forward.�
>
> Horseshoe crabs � which are actually more closely related to spiders than
> crabs � feed upon marine worms and small shellfish, and are fed upon by
> the federally threatened loggerhead sea turtle and a number of shark
> species. Their outer shells often support a whole community of marine
> life, from bacteria to blue mussels. Horseshoe crab eggs are a key part of
> the seasonal diet of at least seven commercially and recreationally
> important fish species and a host of crabs and other invertebrates.
>
> Each May and June, horseshoe crabs lay large numbers of these small green
> eggs on Delaware Bay beaches. Migratory shorebirds, such as the endangered
> red knot, arrive around the same time to feast on surplus eggs before
> continuing their long journey from South America to their Arctic breeding
> grounds. In about two weeks, the birds double their weight for the final
> non-stop leg of the trip.
>
> As horseshoe crab populations dropped considerably in the 1990s, so did
> the numbers of red knots. With the horseshoe crab decline largely
> attributed to their increased demand as bait in the commercial whelk pot
> fishery, the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission (ASMFC)
> established a fisheries management plan with strict harvest quotas. Since
> the plan was adopted, increases have been noted in segments of the
> horseshoe crab population. Currently, the ASMFC plan allows for harvesting
> a limited number of male horseshoe crabs and no harvest of female crabs in
> Delaware.
>
> With whelk as a popular seafood staple in Asia and an ingredient used
> domestically in chowders and fritters, demand for horseshoe crabs as bait
> continues to be high, particularly for female crabs, making an equally
> effective alternative appealing both economically and environmentally.
>
> To reach the goal of finding an alternative bait, Targett partnered with
> DuPont scientists to analyze the horseshoe crab�s chemical makeup. They
> identified 100 compounds in tissue samples and were able to rule out some
> as key components in the scent that appeals so strongly to eel and whelk.
>
> �We were pleased to provide the expertise of DuPont scientists, as well as
> business advice to make this project successful,� said Gary Spitzer,
> DuPont senior vice president of operations and engineering. �This is a
> great example of the way corporations, universities and governments can
> collaborate to promote sustainable solutions.�
>
> Concurrent with the chemical approach, Targett�s lab developed artificial
> bait made from alginates (compounds found in brown seaweeds and kelp), a
> small amount of coarsely ground horseshoe crab and food-grade chemicals
> including baking soda and citric acid. When mixed together, these
> ingredients form a quick-set gelatin that keeps for up to four days.
>
> Compared with using half of a female horseshoe crab, which is the Delaware
> limit, the mixture was just as productive in catching eel using only
> one-eighth of a female. By substituting an invasive species, the Asian
> shore crab, the researchers cut that amount down to as little as
> one-sixteenth of a horseshoe crab. They tested catching whelk with the
> bait and found similarly successful results.
>
> In addition, despite speculation that female horseshoe crabs were better
> baits than males, the scientists found that artificial baits composed of
> males or females were equally effective. The Delaware limit is one whole
> male per trap or pot.
>
> The bait research was funded by Delaware Sea Grant, the Delaware
> Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control (DNREC) and
> DuPont Chemicals & Fluoroproducts. A faculty member at the Delaware
> Biotechnology Institute participated in the early stages of the research.
> DNREC provided logistical assistance in obtaining horseshoe crab specimens
> and connecting researchers with fishers.
>
> LaMonica Fine Foods in Millville, N.J., has started producing the bait
> commercially. Field tests in Delaware Bay with local whelk fishermen have
> been successful so far.
>
> �The hallmark of this bait is that everyone wins,� said Jim Roussos of
> LaMonica Fine Foods LLC. �This is a major step in conserving the natural
> resource of horseshoe crabs. The conch and eel fishermen are relieved of
> the pressures of buying, storing and processing horseshoe crabs. The
> University of Delaware has proven once again that it is a vital, important
> and valuable institution not only to its students but to the public at
> large. And commercial fisheries win when we can be conservators of public
> resources while maintaining our historical way of life.�
>
> To learn more about the project and download the recipe for personal use,
> visit www.deseagrant.org.
>
> For more information about pre-made bait, call Michael LaVecchia at
> LaMonica Fine Foods at 856-825-8111, ext. 102.
>
> Vol. 43, No. 220
> -30-
>
>
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