Horseshoe crab harvest limit debated

State officials will meet tonight to determine whether to extend the state’s horseshoe crab harvest quota through 2013.

The 100,000 male crab harvest limit was established in 2009 and extended to this year. Officials say the limit should be extend to comply with the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission management plan for the crabs. Horseshoe crab eggs provide a major source of food for migratory birds that use Delaware’s coast as a pit stop during migration.