Date: Sat, 27 May 2000 06:46:43 -0400 Reply-To: Maryland Birds & Birding Sender: Maryland Birds & Birding From: Fran Saunders Subject: Horseshoe Crab Sanctuary proposed (long) MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-type: text/plain; charset=US-ASCII Content-transfer-encoding: 7BIT Thank you, Gail for bringing this to our attention. ------------------- Greetings! I just received this post from PABIRDS and thought others might be interested: >From Scott Weidensaul: > My apologies for cross-posting, but this item just moved on the >PA-Audubon list, and deserves immediate attention from birders across >Pennsylvania. As most of you know, continued overharvesting of horseshoe >crabs in the Delaware Bay imperils not only this ancient invertebrate, b= ut >the nealy 1 million shorebirds (including 80 percent of the western >hemisphere's red knots) that depend on crab eggs each spring in migratio= n. >The results have been disastrous for the birds in recent years. > While New Jersey, Delaware and Maryland have taken steps to curb crab >fishing, the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission has undercut th= em >by setting excessively high quotas -- and the state of Virginia refuses = to >abide by even those overly generous limits, providing a place for >out-of-state crab fishermen to land their catch; last year, crab landing= s >in VA (many of them coming out of Delaware Bay) rose by an incredible 2,= 700 >percent. > One positive development, however, is a proposed rule setting aside pa= rt >of the mouth of the bay as a crab sanctuary. The National Marine Fisheri= es >Service is taking public comment through June 2 on this rule, which shou= ld >be enacted as quickly as possible. > I know it's a holiday weekend, but do this for the birds -- fax (don't >mail) a letter to NMFC at the number below, using the following sample >letter if you like. NMFC will be getting tremendous pressure from >commercial fishermen to reject the sanctuary, and it's time for us birde= rs to flex our muscle and our numbers on behalf of the birds we enjoy so muc= h. > Thanks, >Scott Weidensaul sweidnsl@pottsville.infi.net Schuylkill Haven, Pa. ----------------- >Public Comments Needed for Horseshoe Crab Sanctuary >The National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) is seeking public comment o= n a >proposed rule to close fishing for horseshoe crabs in federal waters aro= und >the mouth of the Delaware Bay. The Atlantic States Marine Fisheries >Commission (ASMFC) recently voted to request that NMFS close these water= s >and create a horseshoe crab sanctuary. >Creating this sanctuary is vital now that Virginia alone, of all the >Mid-Atlantic states, has refused to implement the 25 percent reduction i= n >horseshoe crab landings as required under the ASMFC Fishery Management P= lan >for Horseshoe Crabs. Virginia harvests a majority of its horseshoe crab= s in >federal waters. >The Federal Register notice on the sanctuary is available online at http://www.access.gpo.gov/su_docs/fedreg/a000503c.html. Scroll down to >"National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Proposed Rules" to vie= w >the notice. >Comments must be received by next Friday, June 2, 2000. Feel free to >customize the sample letter below, then send your letter by fax to 301-427-2313. >SAMPLE LETTER Richard Schaefer, Chief Staff Office for Intergovernmental and Recreational Fisheries (Fx2) National Marine Fisheries Service 8484 Georgia Avenue Silver Spring, MD 20910 >Dear Mr. Schaefer: >I am writing to comment on the proposal to prohibit fishing for horsesho= e >crab in federal waters at the mouth of the Delaware Bay [Federal Registe= r, >May 3, 2000, p. 25698]. >I strongly support this proposal to establish a horseshoe crab sanctuary= and >urge you to take action immediately. By creating this sanctuary, the >National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) will take an important step in >conserving horseshoe crabs and the millions of migratory shorebirds that >depend upon a healthy population of horseshoe crabs. >Time is critical. While the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission (ASMFC) made progress this February by implementing a coastwide quota, NM= FS >must also take action to protect this unique natural resource. The need= for >a horseshoe crab sanctuary is especially urgent given that the state of >Virginia, which harvests almost all of its horseshoe crabs in federal >waters, has announced that it will not implement the required landing ca= p as >required by the ASMFC Horseshoe Crab Fishery Management Plan. >Thank you for this opportunity to submit comments on the proposal to clo= se >federal waters to horseshoe crab fishing at the mouth of the Delaware Ba= y. >I again urge you to immediately create this sanctuary. >Sincerely, >[Please remember to include your name and address in the closing.] ---------------------------------- ----------------------------------- Patricia Rossi Levittown, PA Lower Bucks County circuscyan@aol.com ------- End of forwarded message ------- -------------------------------- Fran Saunders Web Site Director Maryland Ornithological Society Silver Spring, Maryland webmaster@mdbirds.org http://www.MDBirds.org/ ========================================================================= To leave the MDOsprey list, send e-mail to listserv@home.ease.lsoft.com with the following message in line 1: signoff mdosprey ========================================================================= ===========================================================================