February 24, 2025 –A new draft plan from the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission (ASMFC) would allow regulators to set a multi-year male-only harvest of Delaware Bay horseshoe crabs while the commission updates the computer model it uses to manage the species.
Horseshoe crabs are primarily harvested for their blood, which is used for biomedical testing by the pharmaceutical industry – although they are also used as bait.