Horseshoe Crab harvest in DE

GAIL@UMDD.UMD.EDU
Fri, 14 May 99 16:45:42 EDT


Hi all--

We wanted to find out the "scoop" on the Delaware Horseshoe Crab harvest from
the state agencies tasked with regulating it. Barry called and spoke with
two employees of Fish and Wildlife, who told him the following:

LICENSE:  All harvesters collecting crabs have to have a license -- it is
$100 for residents and $1000 for non-residents. They have arrested five
people in last few days at Pt. Mahon for not having a license. We forgot to
ask whether the license has to be displayed (that is, if a birder could note
lack of license and report violators). There is NO LIMIT on number of
crabs harvested.

The employee Barry spoke with acknowledged problems -- one, non-residents can
buy crabs from residents without needing an expensive license; two, they
have not been able to completely deal with the "tractor-trailer" problem but
hope to get legislation passed to restrict this practice.

DAYS:  Crabs can be harvested by licensed individuals only on Tuesday and
Thursday from specified public beaches, Pt. Mahon being one specified site.
The employee said Pickering Beach, Ted Harvey and (he thought) Kitt's Hummock
were all off-limits to harvest. Crabs can be harvested from private beaches
with owner's permission on Monday, Wednesday and Friday (but can this be
enforced on private land?)

WHAT WE CAN DO:  The state employee asked that if we see any illegal
harvest (that is, on closed beaches or on non-harvest days) to call
Enforcement at 302-739-3440. I will find out about the license display
situation and let everyone know. Report the vehicle tag# and description to
the Nat. Resources police. There is a public phone at the Post Office at
the corner of Pt. Mahon Rd. and Rt. 9. Do not confront the individual your-
self, no matter how much you would like to!

Also, it was apparent from Barry's conversation that there is some agency
frustration that the legislature has not adopted some regulations to close
loopholes, like out-of-state buyers. I would advise that Delawarians write
or phone their state delegates and that the rest of us write to the
state Governor's office. I did that for New Jersey a few years back,
and got both a call and a detailed letter back outlining proposed crab
regulations. Be sure to emphasize your economic contribution to the state,
e.g. number of trips to Delaware area in a year, and so forth. Also, when
travelling over there, be sure and let shop owners, gas station, restaurant and
motel owners know you are there birdwatching. Saying you are really concerned
about the horseshoe crabs and how it will affect birders coming to Delaware
would be useful, if you have the opportunity.

Gail Mackiernan
Silver Spring, MD