The 2026 Horseshoe Crab Monitoring program began May 14th at Dock Beach.
The program is a NYSDEC/Cornell Cooperative Extension collaborative conservation and research effort. We record spawning activity and total population counts during new and full moon phases at high tide to monitor the abundance of the species on the island.
The data is used as valuable information for management and conservation policies and is shared with numerous state and federal agencies, such as the US Fish & Wildlife Service.
Horseshoe crab populations have faced decline in recent years due to overuse by biomedical companies for vaccine safety testing and overharvesting as bait by whelk and eel fisheries.
Please join us on the scheduled evenings and meet us at Dock Beach 10 minutes before the event. Headlamps, flashlights, and water shoes are useful items to bring. We hope to see you there.
Stephanie Hall
Fishers Island Conservancy
Photo Credit to Stephanie Hall & Anna White
