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A MASS AUDUBON BLOG


HORSESHOE CRABS NEED OUR HELP

Posted on May 30, 2023 by Mass Audubon


NEWS: OVEREXPLOITATION OF HORSESHOE CRABS CONTINUES DESPITE OVERWHELMING SUPPORT
FOR THEIR PROTECTION 

For more than 400 million years, horseshoe crabs have survived in virtually
unchanged form. Today, horseshoe crab eggs fuel epic annual migrations of the
Red Knot and other coastal birds, but the crabs and other species that depend on
them are in trouble.  

Tragically, decades of overexploitation have depleted these ancient creatures to
a fraction of their historic populations. Recently, the state body tasked with
managing this species in Massachusetts, the Marine Fisheries Advisory Commission
(MFAC), voted down key protections aimed at reversing their decline. Without
further protections, horseshoe crabs will continue to be harvested while
spawning and laying eggs and will stand little chance of rebounding to healthy
population levels. 

We’re calling on the MFAC to reverse this unacceptable decision—we must ramp up
protections for the oldest species in Massachusetts. 


A FAILURE TO PROTECT HORSESHOE CRABS 

Mass Audubon scientists and advocates have called for stronger horseshoe crab
protections for years. Fortunately, the Massachusetts Department of Marine
Fisheries (DMF) recently proposed a harvesting ban from January 1 through May 3,
which would have protected horseshoe crabs during spawning. We rallied wildlife
lovers to submit public comments in support of these protections and you
delivered! The DMF received more than 1,350 comments, over 80 percent of which
came from Mass Audubon supporters. 

Tragically, the MFAC—an appointed board dominated by the fishing industry—chose
to ignore unanimous public support and recommendations by DMF scientists. They
voted against restricting horseshoe crab harvesting during spawning season.
Instead, they approved weaker regulations, such as lowering annual crab harvest
quotas. But these protections fall far short of those needed to return horseshoe
crab populations to healthy levels. 

In support of their decision, the MFAC cited our data that showed slight
increases in horseshoe crab numbers during the last few years. However, these
increases were primarily in places where bait harvest was banned, and crab
numbers remain radically below their historic levels.  We need to see long-term,
strong growth to put horseshoe crab populations on track towards recovery.  


THREATS TO HORSESHOE CRABS IN MASSACHUSETTS 

Scientists at Mass Audubon’s Wellfleet Bay Wildlife Sanctuary have conducted
annual surveys of horseshoe crabs for more than two decades. In recent years,
they have found chronically depleted populations with highly skewed male-female
ratios. Two irresponsible harvesting practices drive this frightening trend.  

First, commercial fishermen harvest more than 100,000 crabs each year to use as
bait for whelk—a species that is already overfished in Massachusetts. Harvesting
one depleted species to use as bait for another is the height of irresponsible
overfishing. Mass Audubon calls for an end to this practice. 

Biomedical industry practices add to the pressure from commercial bait
fishing. By bleeding horseshoe crabs for a compound found in their blood to test
drug purity, biomedical companies make millions by testing pharmaceutical
products for bacteria. The industry claims this practice is humane, but studies
have shown that up to 30% of crabs die after being bled.  

Developing effective synthetic alternatives to the compound extracted from
horseshoe crabs will be part of the solution to the problems created by
biomedical harvests. In the meantime, however, the bleeding industry must be
carefully regulated. 

Recognizing the threats to horseshoe crabs, other states like Delaware,
Maryland, New Jersey, and South Carolina have committed to strict regulations on
harvesting female crabs or harvesting at all during the spawning season. These
strong protections elsewhere on the Atlantic Coast are driving more harvesters
to Massachusetts, making it even more crucial that we do our part in protecting
this ancient species. 


HOW YOU CAN HELP PROTECT HORSESHOE CRABS 

Mass Audubon is committed to challenging the MFAC’s decision and continuing to
push for stronger protections for horseshoe crabs. Stay tuned for updates on how
you can help protect horseshoe crabs, then get ready to share far and wide—we’ll
need all hands on deck! 

This entry was posted in Advocacy on May 30, 2023 by Mass Audubon.


A NEW TREE ALLIANCE IN BOSTON 

Posted on May 18, 2023 by Mass Audubon

There’s an old proverb that says great cities are filled with people who plant
trees under whose shade they will never sit. On May 12, Mass Audubon and the
City of Boston kicked off a program aimed at bringing that proverb to life. 

Mayor Wu and Mass Audubon Boston Regional Director Erin Kelly next to new
microforest (Photo: City of Boston-Mayor’s Office/Isabel Leon)

Mayor Michelle Wu joined Mass Audubon President David O’Neill and other guests
at our Boston Nature Center & Wildlife Sanctuary in Mattapan to help plant a new
microforest. Roughly 100 onlookers were serenaded at the event by the joyous
shouts and giggles of children from Boston Nature Center’s Pathways to Nature
Preschool who were playing in the wildlife sanctuary’s nearby woods.

The unusually warm 84-degree-day perfectly underscored the urgent need for more
trees that help people breathe better, serve as a vital connection to the
outdoors, and mitigate heat islands in the face of worsening climate change. 


FORMING THE ALLIANCE 

Wu also announced that she has tapped Mass Audubon to bring together a group of
nonprofits to plant hundreds of trees on privately owned land in Boston
neighborhoods. This new Tree Alliance will bolster the city’s tree canopy and
give Boston residents more access to the physical and emotional benefits trees
provide. 

The Alliance follows the recommendations of Boston’s first Urban Forest Plan
(UFP), an assessment of Boston’s urban forest, with suggestions to improve the
way trees are cared for and ensure the urban forest is available to the entire
community.  While Mass Audubon will convene the alliance of nonprofits
undertaking this task, Mass Audubon President David O’Neill stressed the
on-the-ground change will come from folks in the communities who most heavily
bear the brunt of a lack of trees. 


PLANTING THE MICROFOREST 

After Mayor Wu read her remarks in both English and Spanish, she and some of the
preschoolers got down in the soil with Mass Audubon’s Urban Ecologist Erica Holm
to help plant one of the new microforest’s trees.  

With 96 trees and more than 200 shrubs and perennial plants of 33 species, the
new microforest transformed an unused gravel roadway into a high-density
planting inspired by the Miyawaki method. This will jump-start forest succession
and re-establish a healthy pocket forest that mitigates urban heat island
effects, supports biodiversity, and buffers against flooding and erosion. 

Mass Audubon also gave five trees to city residents to plant on their own land. 


NEXT STEPS

Members of nonprofit organizations with interest in becoming a member of the
Tree Alliance and private landowners in Boston who would like to inquire about
potential tree plantings can email BostonTreeAlliance@massaudubon.org.

A kick-off meeting is anticipated for late summer/early fall. And, we are
currently hiring an Alliance Coordinator, so please spread the word!  

This entry was posted in General on May 18, 2023 by Mass Audubon.


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