Please copy and sign the letter below and email it to the Governor at
[email protected]
Or print, sign and send the letter below to Governor Hochul at the following address:
The Honorable Governor Hochul
Governor of New York State
NYS State Capitol Building
Albany, NY 12224
[email protected]
Or print, sign and send the letter below to Governor Hochul at the following address:
The Honorable Governor Hochul
Governor of New York State
NYS State Capitol Building
Albany, NY 12224
Governor Hochul,
Horseshoe crabs need our help now more than ever. I am asking you to please sign the Horseshoe Crab Protection Act (S.3185A / A.10140) into law today to prohibit the taking of horseshoe crabs in New York State for bait or for biomedical use.
Horseshoe crabs have existed relatively unchanged for approximately 450 million years (200 million years longer than dinosaurs) and they have survived five mass extinctions. They are a keystone species, which means that the repercussions on other species will be devastating if their populations dwindle to numbers that are unsustainable.
For half a century, humans have depended on horseshoe crabs for our survival as they have played a major role in modern medicine. The horseshoe crab’s unique copper-based blue blood has been used for decades by the biomedical industry to test for infection-causing bacteria in injectable drugs, intravenous solutions, vaccines and medical implants. Horseshoe crab blood was used to develop the Covid-19 vaccine that has saved millions of lives.
The Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission’s benchmark stock assessment of horseshoe crabs from 2019 and the recently updated stock assessment from 2024 both show horseshoe crab stock status in New York as being poor. Of all the other states bordering the Atlantic coast, New York State is the only state exhibiting poor status of horseshoe crab stock. There is no evidence that the horseshoe crab stock is rebounding.
New Jersey and Connecticut have both banned the harvest of horseshoe crabs, which puts even more pressure on the New York stock and puts them at a higher risk from poaching by out-of-state fishermen. Bait alternatives exist, but fisherman won’t be compelled to use them unless a ban is enacted.
Entrusting the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation to regulate the harvesting of horseshoe crabs is a mistake. Regulation depends on enforcement, and with only 35 to 40 environmental conservation officers available to patrol the entire Long Island coastline, there is ample opportunity for overharvesting and poaching to occur.
As a resident of New York State I am concerned about the fate of these ancient creatures. Please help ensure their long-term survival by signing the Horseshoe Crab Protection Act
Sincerely,
Horseshoe crabs need our help now more than ever. I am asking you to please sign the Horseshoe Crab Protection Act (S.3185A / A.10140) into law today to prohibit the taking of horseshoe crabs in New York State for bait or for biomedical use.
Horseshoe crabs have existed relatively unchanged for approximately 450 million years (200 million years longer than dinosaurs) and they have survived five mass extinctions. They are a keystone species, which means that the repercussions on other species will be devastating if their populations dwindle to numbers that are unsustainable.
For half a century, humans have depended on horseshoe crabs for our survival as they have played a major role in modern medicine. The horseshoe crab’s unique copper-based blue blood has been used for decades by the biomedical industry to test for infection-causing bacteria in injectable drugs, intravenous solutions, vaccines and medical implants. Horseshoe crab blood was used to develop the Covid-19 vaccine that has saved millions of lives.
The Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission’s benchmark stock assessment of horseshoe crabs from 2019 and the recently updated stock assessment from 2024 both show horseshoe crab stock status in New York as being poor. Of all the other states bordering the Atlantic coast, New York State is the only state exhibiting poor status of horseshoe crab stock. There is no evidence that the horseshoe crab stock is rebounding.
New Jersey and Connecticut have both banned the harvest of horseshoe crabs, which puts even more pressure on the New York stock and puts them at a higher risk from poaching by out-of-state fishermen. Bait alternatives exist, but fisherman won’t be compelled to use them unless a ban is enacted.
Entrusting the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation to regulate the harvesting of horseshoe crabs is a mistake. Regulation depends on enforcement, and with only 35 to 40 environmental conservation officers available to patrol the entire Long Island coastline, there is ample opportunity for overharvesting and poaching to occur.
As a resident of New York State I am concerned about the fate of these ancient creatures. Please help ensure their long-term survival by signing the Horseshoe Crab Protection Act
Sincerely,
501(c)(3) nonprofit organization
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