Delaware Bay horseshoe crab population nears recovery, surveys find
Posted by Leslie Kopp on
Credit to: Delaware Spotlight, Olivia Marble
Overharvesting once posed a serious threat to horseshoe crabs, a species that plays a vital role in the Delaware Bay ecosystem. Today, however, protections implemented more than two decades ago appear to be helping the state's iconic “living fossil” make a comeback.
On a windy evening in mid-May, roughly a dozen volunteers gathered at the James Farm Ecological Preserve near Ocean View carrying charts, thermometers and a white PVC square. Their task was simple: place the square at various points along the beach and count the male and female horseshoe crabs found within it.
“I like seeing the surprise on everyone’s faces when they see how many there are,” said Lorie Whitehaus, a team lead on the survey.
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