The following article appeared in the Cape Gazette on September 12, 2007.
by Rachel Swick
Cape Gazette staffResidents of Broadkill Beach may have noticed horseshoe crabs washing up on the shore.
But there’s no cause for alarm. These are not dead horseshoe crabs, but are simply the discarded shells of molting crabs.
“Around this time of year and into October, horseshoe crabs shed their shells as they grow toward adulthood,” said Glenn Gauvry, president of the Lewes-based Ecological Research and Development Group. “After reaching adulthood, which takes 10 to 12 years, they will no longer molt. Since the juveniles remain in shallower waters, moving deeper as they grow older, their molts more easily wash ashore with the tide.”
Gauvry said the molts look complete, so often they are mistaken for dead horseshoe crabs, which is what caused alarm among residents of Broadkill.
“If you look closely, you will see a fine slit across the front edge of the shell where the animal has stepped out, leaving behind a snapshot of its former self,” said Gauvry. “The new soft-shelled horseshoe crab, now 25 percent larger, will seek shelter for a few days while its new shell hardens.”
Emergency regulations adopted by the Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control (DNREC) in June have been revised and will be presented at a public hearing later this month.
DNREC Secretary John Hughes signed the emergency regulations into law on June 11 after a moratorium on horseshoe-crab harvest was overturned in Superior Court. Charlie Auman, a Slaughter Beach waterman, and Bernie’s Conchs, a company that depends on the horseshoe crab as bait, filed a lawsuit against DNREC’s horseshoe crab harvest moratorium. The court ruled in their favor, overturning the moratorium. The resulting emergency regulations brought Delaware into line with proposed requirements by the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission, which allows 100,000 male horseshoe crabs to be harvested each year.
The new proposal would extend the regulations through Wednesday, Dec. 5 and then would prohibit the harvest of horseshoe crabs from Jan. 1 through June 7, 2008. The harvesting of female horseshoe crabs will be prohibited for two years if the new regulations are adopted.
DNREC will hold a public hearing on the proposal at 7 p.m. on Monday, Sept. 24, at the Richardson and Robbins building in Dover. The public is welcome to attend. Written comments can be sent to Lisa.Vest@state.de.us. The record will remain open until 4:30 p.m., Sunday, Sept. 30.
Contact Rachel Swick at rswick@capegazette.com.
http://www.capegazette.com/storiescurrent/200709/horseshoecrab091107.html
