Friends of Animals (FoA) is appalled that New York has disregarded science and opted to protect the commercial fishing industry instead of horseshoe crabs. These ancient mariners are already functionally extinct in the Long Island Sound and cannot fulfill their ecological role.
Gov. Kathy Hochul has vetoed a bill that would have banned the killing of horseshoe crabs for bait or biomedical purposes. In her veto statement, she asserted that while the bill “is well-intentioned, the management of marine species is better left to the experts at the state Department of Environmental Conservation.”
The experts are at the Atlantic Marine Fisheries Commission, which downgraded horseshoe crab stocks in the New York region, which includes Connecticut and the Long Island Sound, from Neutral to Poor in 2019. According to the Commission, horseshoe crab populations have been declining for at least 15 years.
Hochul’s lack of understanding regarding the agency’s motivations explains why she believes that the best science on this contentious issue comes from the NY DEC, which has financial ties to selling fishing licenses. The DEC is not an independent scientific entity. Stricter regulations will not save horseshoe crabs from extinction—you cannot regulate atrocities.
NY Assemblymember Deborah Glick stated that the Governor’s veto is rooted in the mistaken belief that these living fossils, which coexisted with dinosaurs, can be exploited as bait or harvested for pharmaceutical testing when there are alternative options available for fishing and a synthetic compound substitute.
“Additionally, as our neighboring states have wisely taken steps to prohibit the taking of horseshoe crabs, our population will be at greater risk beyond the climate challenges posed by rising sea levels,” she commented.
We couldn’t agree more.
The DEC’s current so-called regulations permit the annual killing of 150,000 horseshoe crabs. Approximately 431 commercial permit holders are allowed to harvest horseshoe crabs and sell them as bait to about a dozen whelk and eel fishers.
Friends of Animals alerted Glick to the plight of horseshoe crabs and helped advocate for the legislation when she introduced it. FoA also assisted Connecticut in passing a similar ban on killing horseshoe crabs in 2023. A ban in New York would enhance its effectiveness. Long Island Sound would be a safer habitat for horseshoe crabs!
In 2025, we will continue to advocate for a ban on the killing of horseshoe crabs in New York. The state needs to put an end to the reckless and unnecessary killing of these creatures.
In the meantime, Friends of Animals has petitioned the U.S. Secretary of Commerce to list the Atlantic horseshoe crab under the Endangered Species Act (ESA). If designated as endangered under the ESA, they cannot be killed without a permit.
If the Secretary of Commerce does not issue a decision in the next few months, FoA can file a notice of intent to sue for failure to provide a timely complaint in 2025.
Priscilla Feral serves as the president of Friends of Animals, an international animal advocacy organization established in New York in 1957.
