DOVER, Del. - The Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control will hold a public meeting to discuss proposed changes to the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission’s horseshoe crab management plan on Thursday, March 27.
The meeting, hosted by DNREC’s Division of Fish and Wildlife, will take place from 6 to 8 p.m. at the Little Creek Hunter Education Training Center in Dover. Virtual attendance options are available on the ASMFC website.
According to DNREC, the ASMFC is seeking public input on potential updates that would allow the commission’s management board to set male-only harvest specifications for multiple years. Additional topics include options for managing male-only harvest limits, seasonal harvest restrictions and harvest caps for Maryland and Virginia.
DNREC says the proposed changes stem from an ASMFC workshop held last year in Lewes, which gathered stakeholders such as commercial harvesters, conservationists, biomedical representatives, and fishery managers to discuss management objectives for the Delaware Bay-origin horseshoe crab fishery.