FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE, JUNE 16, 2008
PRESS CONTACT, TINA BERGER 202/289-6400
States Schedule Hearings on Draft Horseshoe Crab Addendum V
Public Comment Accepted Until July 18, 2008
Fishermen and other interested groups are encouraged to provide input on the
Draft Addendum, either through attending public hearings or providing
written comments. Copies can be obtained by contacting the Commission at
(202) 289-6400 or via the Commission's website at <http://www.asmfc.org>
www.asmfc.org under Breaking News. Public comment will be accepted until
5:00 PM on July 18, 2008 and should be forwarded to Braddock Spear, Senior
Fisheries Management Plan Coordinator for Policy, 1444 'Eye' Street, NW,
Sixth Floor, Washington, DC 20005; (202) 289-6051 (FAX) or at
<mailto:[log in to unmask]> (Subject line: Horseshoe
Crab). For more information, please contact Braddock Spear at (202)
289-6400.
The States of Delaware, Maryland, and Virginia have scheduled their hearings
to gather public comment on Draft Addendum V to the Interstate Fishery
management Plan for Horseshoe Crab. The dates, times, and locations of the
scheduled meetings follow:
Virginia Marine Resources Commission
Wednesday, July 9, 2008; 6:30 PM
2600 Washington Avenue, 4th Floor
Newport News, Virginia
Contact: Jack Travelstead (757) 247-2247
Delaware Dept. of Natural Resources and Environmental Control
Wednesday, July 16, 2008; 5:30 PM
Richardson and Robbins Building Auditorium
89 Kings Highway
Dover, Delaware
Contact: Roy Miller (302) 739-3441
Maryland Dept. of Natural Resources
Thursday, July 17, 2008; 6:00 PM
Ocean Pines Library
11107 Cathell Road
Berlin, Maryland
Contact: Michael Luisi (410) 260-8341
Addendum IV is due to expire on September 30, 2008. Draft Addendum V was
initiated to continue horseshoe crab management in Delaware Bay. The Draft
Addendum contains all the current provisions of Addendum IV as options.
These include a delayed, male-only harvest in New Jersey and Delaware; a
delayed harvest in Maryland; and a prohibition on landing of horseshoe crabs
in Virginia from federal waters from January 1 through June 7. Further, the
Draft Addendum proposes that no more than forty percent of Virginia's quota
may be landed from ocean waters and those landings must be comprised of a
minimum male to female ratio of 2:1.
Based on the most recent surveys of horseshoe crabs, it appears that
management measures in Addendum IV and previous management plans are
resulting in increased horseshoe crab abundance. A horseshoe crab trawl
survey administered by Virginia Tech shows increases over the past four to
five years in all demographic groups of horseshoe crabs in ocean waters near
the Delaware Bay. A survey of spawning crabs on the beaches of Delaware Bay
indicate stable female spawning activity and increased male spawning over
the past nine years.
However, horseshoe crab management is a multispecies issue. Despite the
positive signs in population growth of horseshoe crabs around Delaware Bay,
red knots, one of many shorebird species that feed upon horseshoe crab eggs,
show no sign of recovery. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Shorebird
Technical Committee is expected to take a closer look this spring at the
most recent shorebird survey data.
Fishermen and other interested groups are encouraged to provide input on the
Draft Addendum, either through attending public hearings or providing
written comments. Copies can be obtained by contacting the Commission at
(202) 289-6400 or via the Commission's website at <http://www.asmfc.org>
www.asmfc.org under Breaking News. Public comment will be accepted until
5:00 PM on July 18, 2008 and should be forwarded to Braddock Spear, Senior
Fisheries Management Plan Coordinator for Policy, 1444 'Eye' Street, NW,
Sixth Floor, Washington, DC 20005; (202) 289-6051 (FAX) or at
<mailto:[log in to unmask]> (Subject line: Horseshoe
Crab). For more information, please contact Braddock Spear at (202)
289-6400.
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