New York’s Horseshoe Crab Harvest Ban: The Legal and Legislative Path to Protection for a Keystone Species

12:00 p.m. – 12:05 p.m.

Welcome and Introduction

12:05 p.m. 12:55 p.m.

New York’s Horseshoe Crab Harvest Ban: The Legal and Legislative Path to Protection for a Keystone Species

In December 2026, Governor Kathy Hochul signed into law the Horseshoe Crab Protection Act, which phases out the catch of horseshoe crabs in state waters for both bait and biomedical use by 2029.

New York joins New Jersey and Connecticut in enacting horseshoe crab harvest bans, and other Atlantic states are considering similar measures. Why are states enacting harvest bans, and how did New York achieve theirs? What activities does this new law prohibit, and how do its legal provisions operate? 

This webinar explores the legal, regulatory, political, and legislative underpinnings of New York’s horseshoe crab harvest ban and how an unlikely coalition of conservation groups and pharmaceutical companies prevailed.

Panel:

Will Harlan, Southeast Director and Senior Scientist, Center for Biological Diversity

Danny Waltz, Esq., Southeast Senior Attorney, Center for Biological Diversity

1.0 Credit in Areas of Professional Practice

12:55 p.m. – 1:00 p.m.

Q&A