“Christmas has come early for the horseshoe crabs!” exclaimed Adrienne Esposito, executive director of Citizens Campaign for the Environment, following New York Governor Kathy Hochul’s signing of the Horseshoe Crab Protection Act last month. The new law bans the removal of horseshoe crabs for bait and biomedical uses in New York waters by 2029.
Before then, there will be a phase-out process—reducing to 75% of the current yearly limit of 150,000 horseshoe crabs this year, no more than 50% in 2027, no more than 25% in 2028, and then a complete end.
The measure, passed last year by large majorities in the New York State Legislature, initially did not include a phase-out schedule; it was identical to the bill passed in 2024, which the governor vetoed.
In signing a version of the 2025 measure to which the phase-out provisions were added, Hochul issued a memorandum on December 19 that said: “Horseshoe crabs are a vital keystone species in New York, often called living fossils, and are important to our environment. Last year, I vetoed similar legislation due to concerns that this bill could have unintended consequences on the commercial fishing industry and biomedical advancements, [that] which did not leave those industries enough time to transition to alternatives. I have reached an agreement with the legislature to enact changes to allow for such a transition.”
Environmentalists applauded the measure’s enactment.
Esposito of the Citizens Campaign, based in Farmingdale, said: “This is an amazing holiday gift, and Governor Hochul has given us a big reason to celebrate. Horseshoe crabs have walked the Earth since the time of the dinosaurs, and we want to make sure they don’t go extinct… This is an incredible holiday gift to our ecosystem and to the communities that love this important species.”
Dr. John T. Tanacredi, a Long Island scientist widely known as an expert on the horseshoe crab, also commended the governor’s action. A professor of earth and environmental sciences at Molloy University, he said it would “clearly be a positive step for horseshoe crab populations on Long Island.”
Last year at this time, after the governor’s 2024 veto, Esposito charged that Hochul “didn’t just drop the ball, she dropped the ax by vetoing the Horseshoe Crab Protection Act,” and environmentalists were “appalled” that Hochul “squandered a rare and special opportunity to save an ancient species from extinction. The governor’s inaction is not only harmful to horseshoe crabs but also to the many other species that rely on them.”
The Sierra Club’s Atlantic Chapter wrote to the governor, stating that horseshoe crabs have been “over-harvested for their blood by the medical industry and as bait by the fishing industry, to the point of being vulnerable to local extinction… There are safe, effective alternatives for the medical use of horseshoe crab blood, but the market for their blood is lucrative, and their capture has spiked in recent years.”
The Group for the East End, based in Southold, declared, “It is now up to Hochul to sign the new bill…We see them spawning on our East End beaches and in the waters where children play. Their eggs serve as a vital food source for migratory shorebirds and numerous fish species. Horseshoe crabs play a vital role in our marine ecosystem, but now their populations are declining at a rapid pace… Harvesting for bait and biomedical purposes, along with habitat loss, is having a profound impact on our local horseshoe crab population. Here on Long Island, there is a documented population decline with no end in sight… Alternatives for biomedical use of horseshoe crab blood exist and have become mainstream. If alternatives are not utilized for commercial bait, the horseshoe crab population will likely continue to decline beyond repair.”
In 2023, Connecticut established regulations to help restore horseshoe crab populations for conservation. The following year, the Center for Biological Diversity (CBD) petitioned the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) to list the Atlantic horseshoe crab as an endangered or threatened species under the Endangered Species Act.
Noting this, the Group for the East End added, “Data has shown that when one area strengthens its regulations, other areas experience an increase in harvest rates. Because New York and Connecticut share Long Island Sound, it is critical that New York follow suit and enact a similar ban. We cannot allow this ecologically important species to face extinction.”
Before passing away in October, scientist Dr. Jane Goodall also wrote a letter to Hochul, stating, “I believe New York has an opportunity to lead in this conservation effort. By signing this bill, you can ensure the survival of the horseshoe crab and the many species that depend on it. I have devoted my life to preserving the planet, and I hope, together, we can make a lasting difference in this important corner of the world.”
Fishing interests have been strongly opposed to the legislation.
Bonnie Brady, executive director of the Montauk-based Long Island Commercial Fishing Association, wrote in a 2025 edition of National Fisherman: “Some ideas sound noble in theory but collapse under the weight of the facts. That’s the case with legislation that would ban the harvest and sale of horseshoe crabs by New York’s licensed commercial fishermen… Proponents call it ‘protection.’ In reality, it’s an unnecessary ban that would wipe out livelihoods, damage sustainable local fisheries, and ignore the very science-based efforts that state and federal regulators have built together.”
Assemblywoman Glick emphasized last year, “We’re not trying to eliminate the livelihood of the fishing community, but we know that the importance of horseshoe crabs to the environment outweighs their usefulness as bait.”
After Hochul signed the measure, Glick said, “Horseshoe crabs have survived mass extinction and dramatic changes to our planet, but they are now struggling to survive the impacts of human activity. By signing this legislation into law, New York is taking decisive action to protect a living fossil and the many species that depend on it.”
