by Shelby Schmeltzle The Atlantic Horseshoe Crab (Limulus polyphemus) is an important keystone species of the Delaware Bay. As such, the horseshoe crab is depended upon by many other species participating in the ecosystem. Shorebirds such as the Red Knot (Calidris...
Every spring, Delaware Bay host the largest concentration of spawning horseshoe crabs on the Atlantic Coast. Surveys estimate 300,000-1,300,000 horseshoe crabs annually come ashore onto NJ Bayshore beaches and are in greatest numbers during spring tides in May and...
by Shelby Schmeltzle Continuing efforts to conserve and restore the local Atlantic Horseshoe Crab population, The Wetlands Institute (TWI) has partnered with the NJ Division of Fish and Wildlife’s Aquatic Education Program to launch the Horseshoe Crabs in the...
by Allison Anholt, Research Scientist Extra high tides during the new moon in May, combined with warm water temperatures and high sustained winds caused mass strandings of spawning horseshoe crabs on the Delaware Bay over Memorial Day weekend. The water overflowed the...
by Sue Slotterback An annual ritual is about to commence along our shoreline. It’s time for the migration and spawning of horseshoe crabs. Known as a “living fossil”, horseshoe crabs date back more than 450 million years! They are closely related to spiders, ticks,...
The reTURN the Favor program works to make the beaches of New Jersey safer for the thousands of horseshoe crabs that spawn annually between May and July on the Delaware Bayshore. Many of these crabs die by becoming overturned by wave action, or upon being caught in...
