The decline of the horseshoe crab population in Jamaica Bay, which results from over-harvesting, is taking a toll on the population of migratory bird species. (Photo by Don Riepe)Forget the American Museum of Natural History — for a glimpse of some “living dinosaurs,” area residents can visit Jamaica Bay and catch a glimpse of the prehistoric horseshoe crab, which will come ashore to lay eggs in the coming weeks.
But time may be running out, since the horseshoe crab population is rapidly dwindling. Heavy harvesting has led to the decline of the species across the entire Northeast coast, according to Broad Channel resident Don Riepe, president of the American Littoral Society’s Northeast chapter.
Concerned about the effects of the decline — including the endangerment of 11 species of migratory birds, one of which has declined about 80 percent in the last decade — U.S. Park Police have increased their presence around parts of the bay known to host large numbers of crabs and, in turn, poachers.
The federal officers added patrols at key nesting sites during high-tide periods when the crabs head to shore to lay eggs. They include the North Channel Bridge, the Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge Center and Plumb Beach in Brooklyn.
Riepe is happy to see that the issue is being addressed and that the National Park Service, which oversees Jamaica Bay, is attempting to enforce regulations regarding poaching of the protected species.
But, he believes more can be done: “I would prefer to see the (park’s resource staff) out (patrolling) ... because they know the resources. The park police are not as attuned to knowing where to go, when to go.” The overall shortage of resource rangers at Jamaica Bay is of serious concern to Riepe.
“A lot of this is educational,” he noted, which requires response from those who have the appropriate knowledge. The park service should invest in increasing staff and placing on-site personnel throughout the bay to expand educational outreach programs and maintain the safety of various protected resources, Riepe added.
Horseshoe crabs — which date back more than 400 million years in the fossil records — are harvested primarily for use as bait, according to Riepe: poachers use the female crabs to lure squid and eels. But the crabs also have great medical value, as their copper-based blood is used to test for pathogens (bacteria) in human blood serum and vaccines.
More importantly, however, the harmless horseshoe crab is an important part of the ecological food chain of many of the bird and fish species living in coastal estuaries. The Littoral Society has employed volunteer educational programs from the refuge center aimed at teaching visitors the ecological value of the horseshoe crabs. Last weekend, Riepe took a group of about 70 visitors on a walk-through tour of the area around the refuge center where they observed and learned about the species.
Riepe is now trying to put together some baseline data to determine the population of horseshoe crabs in Jamaica Bay. He’s taken frequent walks along the nesting areas around the high-tide periods and charted his observations; on Memorial Day, he counted more than 990 horseshoe crabs on a small section of beach near West Pond — one of the largest crab landings he’s seen in a while.
Although he doesn’t believe there is excessive harvesting in Jamaica Bay, Riepe wants the National Park Service to further step up enforcement and crack down on poachers. The park service banned horseshoe crab harvesting throughout the entire bay last year, but it is still legal in New York State.
After lobbying from the Littoral Society, New Jersey Gov. John Corzine recently signed legislation placing a moratorium on horseshoe crab harvesting. This would be an ideal accomplishment for Jamaica Bay, but Riepe is currently focused on gathering and analyzing data and continuing educational outreach.
