Message:

[

Previous   Next

]

By Topic:

[

Previous   Next

]

Subject:

Re: Red Knots no more????

From:

Norm Saunders

Reply-To:

Date:

Sun, 8 May 2005 10:07:58 +0000

Janelle Dietrich writes:

> I just read an article in a Frederick newspaper regarding the "possible 
> extinction" of the red knot by the year 2010. The article was 
> unbelievable!! What a sad thing to happen. It stated that the probable 
> cause was the overharvesting of the horseshoe crab.


I believe that their fate was sealed the day someone discovered a commercial market for harvested horseshoe crabs (for fertilizer, I believe).  For a long time folks long the Delaware Bay would harvest the dead or dying crabs along the shoreline.  Once the discovery was made that the crabs could be caught in nets as they made their way toward land and long before they had the opportunity to deposit any eggs on the beaches, the decline of Red Knots became noticeable and probably inevitable.

Unfortunately the three states involved (Delaware, Maryland, and Virginia) have a dismal record of working together cooperatively to protect threatened habitats/wildlife, etc.  This is my opinion from what I've read and seen and I'd be happy to hear from others who have a different take on the situation.  I do know, however, that Red Knots are becoming increasingly difficult to find during Spring migration.

Best,
Norm Saunders

=====================
Norman C. Saunders
Colesville & West Ocean City, MD