DE Center for Inland Bays shares the results of their 2023 horseshoe crab survey.
Thanks to the dedication of Delaware Center for Inland Bays (DCIB) volunteers, a total of 27,888 crabs were counted during the 2023 survey timeframe. That number was an increase of 5,905 over 2022’s survey! With concerns in past years of dwindling shorebird populations, especially red knots who migrate specifically for the horseshoe crab’s eggs, this increase is encouraging. Learn more about the connection between the crabs (chelicerates) and red knots: FAQ
Other highlights of the survey results include:
- 3,000 horseshoe crabs were tagged
- Tower Road survey site had the highest total number of horseshoe crabs counted this season with 8,382.
- Tower Road had the highest number of crabs counted in a single night at 1,763, but Ellis Point trailed by just one with 1,762
- The Little Assawoman site, which was last surveyed in 2017, because it typically has the lowest counts due to the crabs’ long journey to the shore, was included again this year.
To read the full factsheet from the 2023 survey, visit DCIB’s Horseshoe Crab Survey project page and scroll down to “data and project reports”.
