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It is mid-March. A male Northern Cardinal is singing loudly from the limb of a Red Oak tree outside my window. He is expressing himself today with a series of high, clear calls that sound like whoit, whoit, whoit, and then followed quickly by a longer cheer, cheer, cheer. It is a very welcome sound to hear in March. The song provides some color and charm in an otherwise colorless forest.
Of course the male Cardinal could care less about what makes me happy. He is busy working to declare spring breeding territory. To set up breeding territory, a male songbird will vocalize loudly from his boundaries to create a singing "no trespassing" sign around his turf to warn other male birds to keep out. For me, however, the Cardinal’s song is a joyous voice that reverberates out of leafless forest to provide a stir of spring.
(A bright red male Northern Cardinal about to sing to defend his nesting territory)
Cold winter weather seems to be losing it grip on the Raritan Bay-Sandy Hook Bay region. Milder air from the south arrived this past weekend and seems to be lasting into the work week. High temperatures are more comforting now and range in the 50s. The brutal cold of last week that we had to endure is finally a distant memory.
After our recent cold and wet weather, I am more than ready for spring. Yet I know that it will still be sometime before green leaves start coming out and Beach Plums start blooming at Sandy Hook.
Although it is still too early to see Horseshoe Crabs in our bay beaches, it is never too early to think of ways that we can help to protect this remarkable ancient critter. Unfortunately, in many areas of New Jersey, the species has suffered a significant decline over the past 10 to 20 years including in the Bayshore region.
Gone are the days when Horseshoe Crabs used to be plentiful along our local bay beaches. There used to be a time when hundreds and in some cases thousands of Horseshoe Crabs could be found on every beach along the bay, from South Amboy eastward to Sandy Hook. Today, you are lucky if you spot a hundred crabs in any particular place. This is true of the entire Jersey Shore. Down in Delaware Bay a 2001 survey indicated that the number of adult crabs declined 75% in 11 years.
(A new sign in the Atlantic Highlands Harbor to educate people about the ban on harvesting Horseshoe Crabs in all NJ waters)
In response to a growing concern by many environmentalists for declining Horseshoe Crabs, on May 15, 2006, the State of New Jersey adopted a two-year moratorium on the harvesting of Horseshoe Crabs. This action will help the Horseshoe Crab population in our state to slowly recover.
Even so, there are still many people who do not know about the ban. For example, last fall a person was caught harvesting Horseshoe Crabs right here in Atlantic Highlands. Thankfully, he was spotted by a local resident who called the authorities.
To make sure people are more aware of the moratorium, the Bayshore Regional Watershed Council approached the American Littoral Society (ALS) last fall to create educational signs that will notify people about the ban. Tim Dillingham, Executive Director of ALS, agreed to help and asked Jim Peck, Education Coordinator, to work with NJDEP to create signage.
(Several adult Horseshoe Crabs in the mating process on a beach in Sandy Hook Bay. This small population is a far cry from the thousands of crabs that used be present many years ago)
The finished product is a 9”x12” bright white sign with a picture of an adult Horseshoe Crab. The sign reads: “Horseshoe Crab Harvesting is not permitted in NJ waters. Become partners in the effort to conserve these 400 million-year-old creatures and the shorebirds that feed on their eggs. Please report Horseshoe Crab harvesting to (877) WARN-DEP.”
About 200 signs were created and will be dispersed along the Jersey Shore. In the Bayshore region, roughly 20 signs will be posted, including four in the Atlantic Highlands Harbor.
For sure, water pollution and habitat destruction have contributed to the downfall of the crab, but the major cause of adult Horseshoe Crabs is the wholesale removal by people to use them as bait for catching eels and conches or whelks.
In 1993, nearly a quarter or a million crabs were harvested for bait. Since each crab can bring up to a dollar or more, it is a lucrative business. The U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service values the whole Atlantic coast industry at around $14 million. In 2001, the National Marine Fisheries Service valued the horseshoe crabs landed in NJ at $134,800.
This is an unsustainable industry, however, that is diminishing our Horseshoe Crab population from the shores of New Jersey. According to a 2001 stock assessment of Delaware Bay Horseshoe Crabs, by a conservative estimate the crabs were being harvested at a rate 4 times greater than could be sustained.
Migrating shorebirds also depend on Horseshoe Crabs for their eggs as an important food source. As a result of declining crab populations, the number of Red Knots, in particular, has declined over the last decade, and there is new evidence to suggest that this bird could become extinct in four years. The birds arrive to Jersey bay beaches just as the crabs come ashore to spawn in May. The birds need to feed and rebuild important energy reserves prior to completing their northward migration to the arctic. If there are little or no crab eggs to be found, then the birds can die of starvation.
The continued existence of this unique ancient bay critter, and its vital supporting role in the protection of migrating shorebird populations will not be possible without a greater understanding of the Horseshoe Crab and an increase public awareness on the effects of human activities on the crab. Let us all hope there will always be plenty of Horseshoe Crabs in our local bay waters for everyone to enjoy well into the future.
For now, the wait is on for Horseshoe Crabs to swim inshore and start the mating process along our bay beaches starting as early as the end of April. It is a process this species has been doing for millions of years.
Appreciation needs to be given to the American Littoral Society, especially to Jim Peck at the society for all his wonderful help, time, and energy working with NJDEP to create educational signs on the moratorium. For more information about this project or on the American Littoral Society, please visit the ALS website at: http://www.littoralsociety.org/ | 
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