WSJ News.pdf

Horseshoe crabs have been laying trillions of eggs on Delaware Bay's shores for millions of years, coinciding with the red knot bird's 9,300-mile migration. However, the use of horseshoe crabs as bait in the 1990s led to a decline in the red knot population.

A moratorium on horseshoe-crab catching was imposed in New Jersey last year and in Delaware this year, but watermen challenged it in court. They won the case, allowing them to harvest a few crabs for a few months of the year on Delaware's side of the bay.

Dr. Carl N. Shuster Jr., an expert on horseshoe crabs, believes the moratorium would harm watermen without significantly helping the birds. He cites the existing no-crab-catch zone and harvest limits, which have already reined in the catch, allowing the horseshoe-crab population to recover.

Bird scientists argue that only a moratorium can guarantee the fastest possible recovery of the crab population, which is essential for the red knots' survival. They disagree with Dr. Shuster on the number of crabs, eggs, and birds, emphasizing the importance of the number of crabs coming ashore and the number of eggs they lay.

The dispute has economic implications, with the red knot's rest stop generating income from wildlife tourism, while the watermen rely on the fishery for their livelihood. Waterman Frank Eicherly, who has been hauling whelk for 15 years, is open to discussing the issue, highlighting the complexity of the problem.