Horseshoe Crab Rescue at Fortescue Beach; Implications for Mortality ...
Horseshoe Crab Rescue at Fortescue Beach; Implications for Mortality, Beach Restoration Need, and Future Assessment of Spawning Habitat
Delaware Estuary Summit 2015 Rosy Tucker, Ron Smith Photo credit: Steve Morello
Fortescue, Cumberland County, NJ
7 Survey Dates 5/9/14 5/15/14 5/23/14 5/30/14 6/6/14 6/13/14 6/20/14 Photo credit: Steve Morello
Photo credit: Steve Morello
4,601 Horseshoe Crabs Counted (Dead and Alive), 58.17% of which were rescued from the debris field.
Average Sex Ratio: 5.65 males: 1 female
On Average, 79.52% of live males and 64.48% of live females counted were rescued either from debris or flipped.
80% of Dead Horseshoe Crabs Counted Were Impinged
3,539 Total Horseshoe Crabs Rescued and Returned to the Bay in the 2014 Spawning Season
75.5% of the Horseshoe Crabs Rescued Were Impinged in Debris Field
5/9/14
Fortescue
5/15/14
Fortescue
5/23/14
Fortescue
5/30/14
Fortescue Gandy’s
Sea Breeze
6/6/14
6/13/14
Gandy’s
Gandy’s
Fortescue
6/20/14
Fortescue
Fortescue
Sea Breeze
Sea Breeze
Gandy’s
Gandy's
Fortescue total dead 8%
total on beach (no flip) 15%
total dead 25%
total on beach(no flip) 16%
Total Natural Impinged 1%
Sea Breeze
total flip 0% Total Dead 28%
total flip 17% total impinged 60%
Total on Beach no flip 35%
Total Impinged 10% total impinged 59%
Total Flipped 26%
Photo credit: Steve Morello
Debris field 47% of study site
Debris field 96% of study site
Sea wall 58% of study site
Future Research • Measuring beach fidelity of spawning horseshoe crabs • Finding the frequency of re-entrapment of individual horseshoe crabs at each beach • Measuring shorebird abundance at beaches with areas of horseshoe crab impingement • Estimating the population size of the horseshoe crabs spawning in the Delaware Bay • Finding which beaches are preferred by spawning females
Photo credit: Steve Morello
Join Us This Summer!
Photo credit: Steve Morello
Delaware Estuary Summit 2015 Rosy Tucker, Ron Smith Photo credit: Steve Morello
Fortescue, Cumberland County, NJ
7 Survey Dates 5/9/14 5/15/14 5/23/14 5/30/14 6/6/14 6/13/14 6/20/14 Photo credit: Steve Morello
Photo credit: Steve Morello
4,601 Horseshoe Crabs Counted (Dead and Alive), 58.17% of which were rescued from the debris field.
Average Sex Ratio: 5.65 males: 1 female
On Average, 79.52% of live males and 64.48% of live females counted were rescued either from debris or flipped.
80% of Dead Horseshoe Crabs Counted Were Impinged
3,539 Total Horseshoe Crabs Rescued and Returned to the Bay in the 2014 Spawning Season
75.5% of the Horseshoe Crabs Rescued Were Impinged in Debris Field
5/9/14
Fortescue
5/15/14
Fortescue
5/23/14
Fortescue
5/30/14
Fortescue Gandy’s
Sea Breeze
6/6/14
6/13/14
Gandy’s
Gandy’s
Fortescue
6/20/14
Fortescue
Fortescue
Sea Breeze
Sea Breeze
Gandy’s
Gandy's
Fortescue total dead 8%
total on beach (no flip) 15%
total dead 25%
total on beach(no flip) 16%
Total Natural Impinged 1%
Sea Breeze
total flip 0% Total Dead 28%
total flip 17% total impinged 60%
Total on Beach no flip 35%
Total Impinged 10% total impinged 59%
Total Flipped 26%
Photo credit: Steve Morello
Debris field 47% of study site
Debris field 96% of study site
Sea wall 58% of study site
Future Research • Measuring beach fidelity of spawning horseshoe crabs • Finding the frequency of re-entrapment of individual horseshoe crabs at each beach • Measuring shorebird abundance at beaches with areas of horseshoe crab impingement • Estimating the population size of the horseshoe crabs spawning in the Delaware Bay • Finding which beaches are preferred by spawning females
Photo credit: Steve Morello
Join Us This Summer!
Photo credit: Steve Morello
