Source:
Associated PressJudge dumps horseshoe crab protectionSat Jun 9, 11:56 AM ET
GEORGETOWN, Del. - A judge has struck down Delaware's two-year
ban on harvesting horseshoe crabs in Delaware Bay, saying the
crustaceans' population is healthy enough to allow a limited harvest.
The state failed to prove its case in favor of the ban, Superior Court
Judge Richard Stokes ruled Friday in a lawsuit filed by two businesses
involved in the harvest and sale of the crabs. He said that while the
crab population was seriously depleted by overharvesting through
1998, it has since stabilized.
The ruling is "extremely disappointing," said Michael Parr, vice
president of the American Bird Conservancy.
-snip-Fourteen Atlantic coast states, including Delaware, have implemented
conservation measures to protect the crabs, which are used as bait
by eel and conch fisherman but also are vital to migratory shorebirds
that gorge on crab eggs during spring stopovers on the shore of
Delaware Bay.
-snip-Read more:
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070609/ap_on_re_us/horseshoe_crabs