Today Governor Corzine signed the moratorium bill [1] passed by the New Jersey Senate and Assembly. It bans the harvest of horseshoe crabs except a small number for medical and scientific purposes. The goal of the law is to allow the breeding horseshoe crab population to recover from two decades of overfishing. Their eggs support the journeys of migratory red knots, which are on the verge of extinction.

“The effects of human behavior often have widespread, unintended consequences that reverberate across the animal kingdom for generations, like the ripple effect in a pond that started out as one small disturbance,” Governor Corzine said. “It is with that in mind that we are here today to extend the moratorium on horseshoe crab harvesting, so as to reverse the endangerment and prevent the extinction of the red knot species and other shorebirds.”

“This moratorium will be held in place until the populations of both horseshoe crabs and red knots have returned to a level where they will be self sustaining as determined by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife service,” the Governor added.

Thanks to the state legislators who sponsored and passed the bill and to NJ Audubon for pushing the issue. Delaware, Maryland, and Virginia should follow their example.

To read more about the connections between horseshoe crabs and shorebirds, look at the resources offered by NJ Audubon [2], NJ Department of Environmental Protection [3], and the National Audubon Society [4].