A horseshoe crab survey training is planned for April 11 from 2 to 4 PM. Volunteers interested in helping monitor one of Delaware Bay’s most iconic marine species will have the opportunity to receive hands-on training next month at Marvel Saltmarsh Preserve in Slaughter Beach. The program is sponsored by DNREC and the Delaware Nature Society.
The Horseshoe Crab Survey Volunteer Training will provide new volunteers the opportunity to learn the survey protocols used by researchers studying horseshoe crab populations along the Delaware Bay coastline.
The training supports a long-running monitoring effort that began in 1990, when citizen scientists and state researchers first started documenting horseshoe crab spawning activity along Delaware Bay beaches. Over the past three decades, the data collected by volunteers has played a critical role in helping scientists track population trends and understand changes in the species’ spawning activity.
The session at Marvel Saltmarsh Preserve will be led by Elliott Workman of Abbott’s Mill Nature Center, who works with volunteers participating in the annual survey. The training is designed for first-time participants who want to assist with surveys conducted during the peak spawning season in May and June.
During the training, volunteers will learn how to conduct the official horseshoe crab spawning survey, including how to properly record field data and identify the differences between male and female horseshoe crabs. The program also explains how scientists use decades of survey results to monitor ecological changes in Delaware Bay.
Participation in a training session is required before volunteers can take part in the survey.
Researchers say proper training ensures that data collected by volunteers is consistent and scientifically reliable. That data helps state agencies and researchers monitor the health of horseshoe crab populations and guide coastal wildlife management decisions.
Each spring, volunteers gather along Delaware Bay beaches during evening high tides around the new and full moon, when horseshoe crabs come ashore to spawn. Participants count crabs along designated beach sections while recording observations that are later compiled by researchers.
Thanks to the dedication of volunteers, the Delaware horseshoe crab spawning survey has become one of the most successful volunteer-based wildlife monitoring programs in the United States.
The Delaware National Estuarine Research Reserve (DNERR) coordinates surveys on three Delaware Bay beaches each year, Kitts Hummock, Ted Harvey Wildlife Area and North Bowers Beach.
The program provides a rare opportunity for the public to witness the spawning behavior of horseshoe crabs, a species that has existed for more than 400 million years and plays an important ecological role along the Atlantic coast.
To participate in the horseshoe crab spawning survey, volunteers must be at least 13 years old. Anyone between the ages of 13 and 18 must be accompanied by an adult and provide a signed parental consent form.
After attending training, volunteers will be able to select their preferred survey dates through an online registration system. Organizers then assign participants to survey nights, and beach locations based on availability.
Individuals interested in volunteering at other Delaware Bay beaches can still attend the Marvel Saltmarsh training and will be connected with the appropriate survey leaders.
Those interested in registering for the training or learning more about the survey can contact Elliott Workman via email
Additional information about the program and survey sites is available online.
The horseshoe crab survey is coordinated in partnership with the Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control (DNREC) and the Delaware National Estuarine Research Reserve, which use the collected data to support coastal research, wildlife management and conservation planning.
