NY State DEC Finally Does Something About Horseshoe Crab Poachers
Red Knot are the long-distance champs among shorebirds. Their annual migration takes them from the tip of South America up to their breeding grounds in the Arctic and back again--a journey of well over 10,000 miles.The Red Knot population has been in severe decline for several reasons. Red Knot, like many shorebirds, rely on the eggs of horseshoe crabs to sustain them during their migration northward. The decline of horseshoe crabs caused by overfishing has impacted the Red Knot population. Also contributing to their decline is the fact that they still heavily hunted in South America as a game bird.
According to Audubon:
The U.S. Shorebird Conservation Plan lists Red Knot as a "Species of High Concern," based on declining population trends and threats on non-breeding grounds. This species was heavily hunted in the United States during the late 1800s and early 1900s, and while it no longer faces hunting pressure in North America, it appears that knots are still commonly hunted in South America (especially the Guianas). Based on the number of banding recoveries from hunted birds, it appears that this hunting might be fairly significant.
Red Knot is the most heavily concentrated of all shorebirds during migration, with 98% of spring migrants and 97% of fall migrants concentrating at important coastal migratory sites. This strong tendency to congregate at important traditional sites, both during migration and on wintering grounds, leaves Red Knot vulnerable to possible habitat destruction at these spots. Recently, there has been great concern about the continued ability of Red Knot to use Delaware Bay as a major migratory staging area, due to the increased harvest of horseshoe crabs whose eggs provide a primary food source for the birds along the mid-Atlantic Coast.In the Delaware Bay area, federal, state, and local agencies have worked to protect Red Knot staging areas. In the late 1990s, as a result of major initatives by Audubon and other organizations, both New Jersey and Delaware instituted policies to limit the harvesting of horseshoe crabs along their coastlines. There have also been major efforts to reduce the risk of industrial and maritime accidents in the Delaware Bay area, in order to protect Red Knot and the resources that the species depends upon.
Several important areas for migrating and wintering Red Knot--Delaware Bay, sections of the coast of Suriname, and a major staging area in southern Brazil--have been designated as sites in the Western Hemisphere Shorebird Reserve Network (http://www.manomet.org/WHSRN/Sitesmap.htm), and additional areas are being considered for inclusion.
Unfortunately New York State has not stepped-up its protection of horseshoe crabs and although there are limits to how many crabs can be taken these limits are universally ignored because they are not enforced.
This article in yesterday's Newsday leads me to believe there might still be some hope for Red Knot and other shorebirds that depend on horseshoe crab eggs for their survival.
Newsday
State Nabs 10 For Taking Too Many Crabs
BY DEBORAH S. MORRIS
deborah.morris@newsday.com
June 3, 2007
Each spring during the high tides of the new and full moons, horseshoe crabs line local shores to spawn.
Ten local fishermen, some under cover of night, seized this annual ritual as a money-making opportunity: They were caught over-harvesting horseshoe crabs, which are highly prized by the biomedical industry for their blood, officials said.
The state Department of Environmental Conservation has charged the fishermen with violating environmental conservation laws, including unpermitted taking and harvesting more than the allowable limit from the waters and beaches in Brookhaven, Smithtown and Islip towns. Several tickets for operating vessels at night without lights also were issued.
David Hartmann, 28, of East Patchogue, was charged with a felony for possessing a catch that had more than 1,500 horseshoe crabs over the limit and fishing without a permit, the DEC said. Paul Sharkey, 28, of Quogue, was charged on Wednesday with a misdemeanor for having more than the allowable limit of horseshoe crabs and then again on Thursday with a felony for being over the allowable limit, with more than 1,500 horseshoe crabs over the limit, according to the DEC.
If the value of the catch is over $250, the charge is a misdemeanor; if the value is over $1500, the charge is upgraded to a felony, the DEC said.
The following fishermen were charged with misdemeanors: Ken Wolfe, 42, of Islip; Ronald Parry, 49, of Islip; and Michael Mason, 42, of East Islip. Edward Kattar, 25, of Patchogue, and Richard Winkler, 50, of Miller Place, were both ticketed for fishing without a permit. Joseph Drago was issued a written warning for fishing without a permit, according to the DEP.
The two-day investigation commenced on Wednesday with environmental conservation officers and members of the marine enforcement unit in marked and unmarked vehicles and two patrol vessels. The DEC had gotten complaints that people were taking the gentle horseshoe crabs as they made nests on local beaches.
Not really a crab, the horseshoe crab is related to spiders, ticks and scorpions. Its blood, which is blue and copper-based, plays a vital role in injectable medications. The special cells in the blood are used by the pharmaceutical and medical-device industries to guard against bacterial contamination in intravenous drugs, vaccines, and medical devices. The exoskeleton of the crab is used in hair spray, contact lenses and skin creams, experts say.
On May 13, environmental conservation officers charged James Harkins, 42, of Medford, and James Fields, 33, of Patchogue, with fishing without a permit and having more than the daily allowed amount of horseshoe crabs, after they docked their vessel in the Great South Bay and off-loaded the crabs to Jeffrey Mannheimer, 34, of Medford, a shipper and dealer with Jmann Seafood in East Patchogue. Mannheimer was cited for purchasing seafood from unlicensed fishermen. Fields also was cited for speeding and having improper registration numbers on his vessel, according to the DEP.
None of those charged could be reached for comment.
Copyright 2007 Newsday Inc.
