The State of Horseshoe Crabs
Join us in honor of International Horseshoe Crab Day to learn how the Massachusetts Division of Marine Fisheries monitors the abundance of horseshoe crabs, along with the state of our horseshoe crab fisheries. Perry will share the most recent data collected by state scientists in a variety of long-term surveys and explain the complex decision-making processes behind fishery management. Learn when and where to see large numbers of spawning horseshoe crabs, how you can contribute to data collection, and how you can get involved in horseshoe crab management decisions.
Derek Perry is the horseshoe crab biologist for the Massachusetts Division of Marine Fisheries. He is a member of the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission’s (ASMFC) Horseshoe Crab Technical Committee, a coastwide team of horseshoe crab biologists that collectively provides scientific advice to fishery managers. Derek is also a member of the ASMFC Horseshoe Crab Stock Assessment Committee, which provides periodic status updates of horseshoe crab population estimates and trends by analyzing coastwide data sets (survey indices, tagging data, etc).