Strategies to conserve and enhance sandy barrier habitat for horseshoe crabs (Limulus polyphemus) on developed shorelines in Delaware Bay, United States

The ability to successfully manage estuarine shorelines requires balancing ecological function with societal demands. The sandy barriers of Delaware Bay provide important spawning habitat for horseshoe crabs but they are modified for shore protection. This chapter provides a review of the sandy shoreline resources within Delaware Bay; describes the spatial and temporal scales of processes that govern their dimensions, location, morphology, and sedimentary characteristics; compares management programs in the state of Delaware and New Jersey for managing sandy shorelines in the estuary; and provides examples of the status of developed sandy barriers where high levels of horseshoe crab spawning occur.