Volunteers Continue Rescue Program for Horseshoe Crabs

CAPE MAY – For all those who have spent time on the Delaware Bay in May, the sight of a beach at high tide, jammed with spawning horseshoe crabs, is a familiar one. But in recent years, there are far fewer crabs on the beach. This population, which is the highest concentration of spawning horseshoe crabs anywhere in the world, has declined by 90% over the last 15 years because of overharvesting and habitat degradation. Adding to these challenges, tens of thousands of crabs die each year after being overturned by waves or getting stuck behind bulkheads, rip-rap, or other hazards. Mortality of breeding-age crabs, which take ten years to sexually mature, contributes to the low population numbers. In an effort to help the horseshoe crab population recover, eight local organizations are working with residents, visitors, and youth as partners of the New Jersey Division of Fish and Wildlife on Return the Favor, an initiative to rescue stranded horseshoe crabs on New Jersey’s Delaware Bay beaches.
In the 2013 inaugural season, over 150 Return the Favor volunteers saved nearly 5,000 horseshoe crabs, in 43 rescue walks. Program partners are hoping to double these efforts in 2014, and have adopted 16 beaches for rescue walks. Volunteers play an important role in collecting data on rescued crabs, observations of tagged crabs, and locations of potential beach hazards. Data collected from this program will help to guide conservation and beach restoration activities.
As a sanctioned program of the New Jersey Division of Fish and Wildlife, Return the Favor enables organized volunteer groups to rescue horseshoe crabs stranded on New Jersey’s seasonally closed and open beaches, while still complying with New Jersey laws and regulations which protect horseshoe crabs and shorebirds. Program participants must act in accordance with New Jersey’s legislated moratorium on the harvest of horseshoe crabs and seasonal beach closures to allow long-distance migratory shorebirds to forage undisturbed. Volunteers can sign up to participate in Return the Favor walks on the program’s website (www.Returnthefavornj.org) or receive training to lead walks by contacting program coordinators at info@Returnthefavornj.org.
The Return the Favor steering committee is comprised of Celebrate Delaware Bay, Conserve Wildlife Foundation of New Jersey, New Jersey Division of Fish and Wildlife, and The Wetlands Institute. Program partners include Bayshore Center at Bivalve, Citizens United to Protect the Maurice River and Its Tributaries, Friends of Cape May Wildlife Refuge, New Jersey Audubon, and The Nature Conservancy.