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The Horseshoe Crab Fishery in Florida

In Florida, most horseshoe crabs are collected live for use in aquaria and research. Learn where and how most animals are captured.

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Horseshoe crabs are fished commercially in the United States for three purposes: bait (conch and eel fisheries), marine life (aquaria, research, etc.), and biomedical use (principally for the blood).  Compared to other states, particularly those along the Atlantic coast, Florida does not have a very large horseshoe crab fishery.  In March 2000, a fisheries management plan for horseshoe crabs went into effect in Florida; the plan required a license to harvest and set a limit on the number of animals each licensee could harvest per day (100 animals allowed per day per person).  In July 2002, an amendment to the plan established a biomedical permitting rule.  Since that time, no one has applied for a biomedical permit, and harvesters reported only minimal trips during which horseshoe crabs were collected for bait.  Thus, the vast majority of the horseshoe crab fishery in Florida is for live use. 

Florida horseshoe crab landings were recorded beginning in 1990; bait and marine life landings were recorded separately beginning in 1997.  Bait landings were high in 1999 because new regulations restricted harvest in more northern states and Florida did not yet have regulations in place.

Because bait landings have been so low, the rest of the graphs shown here will only include landings by the marine life fishery.  Horseshoe crabs are landed fairly consistently throughout the year. The following graph shows the average number of horseshoe crabs landed in each month from 2000 through 2005.

Collectors harvesting horseshoe crabs also report the general size category of the animals they collect.  These size classes have no legal definitions, and may vary among reports.  The next graph shows that small horseshoe crabs are preferred, presumably because this is the size best suited for aquaria.

 

The next graph shows the average number of horseshoe crabs landed within each region of the state in 2005.  The numbers above the bars give the numbers of trips.

The management plan states “the harvest or attempted harvest of any horseshoe crab by or with any means or gear other than by hand or gig is prohibited”.  This last graph shows how the animals were collected in 2005.  All collection was carried out by hand; those harvesting live animals used SCUBA and snorkel gear to help their collection.

Please visit the Horseshoe Crab Section to learn more.

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Fishing regulations may change annually. Visit http://marinefisheries.org/lines.htm to view the most current recreational fishing regulations.