{"id":3810,"date":"2019-01-03T00:06:37","date_gmt":"2019-01-03T00:06:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/whsrn.org\/?page_id=3810"},"modified":"2019-03-22T19:30:24","modified_gmt":"2019-03-22T19:30:24","slug":"the-story","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/whsrn.org\/es\/delaware-bay\/the-story\/","title":{"rendered":"The Story"},"content":{"rendered":"[mk_page_section bg_image=”https:\/\/whsrn.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/delawarebay_header-1.jpg” bg_image_portrait=”https:\/\/whsrn.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/03\/delaware-bay-header.jpg” bg_color=”#5e5e5e” bg_position=”center center” bg_repeat=”no-repeat” bg_stretch=”true” video_color_mask=”#cccccc” video_opacity=”.4″ min_height=”325″ sidebar=”sidebar-1″][vc_column][mk_padding_divider size=”120″][mk_padding_divider size=”30″ visibility=”visible-sm”][mk_fancy_title tag_name=”h1″ color=”#ffffff” size=”75″ force_font_size=”true” size_phone=”42″ font_weight=”900″ font_family=”Roboto+Condensed” font_type=”google” align=”center”]\n

Delaware Bay
\n<\/span><\/p>\n[\/mk_fancy_title][\/vc_column][\/mk_page_section][mk_page_section bg_color=”#f2f2f2″ padding_top=”25″ sidebar=”sidebar-1″][vc_column css=”.vc_custom_1534796504266{padding-right: 35px !important;}”][mk_fancy_title color=”#53565a” size=”38″ force_font_size=”true” size_phone=”36″ line_height=”120″ font_weight=”300″ txt_transform=”none” margin_bottom=”0″ font_family=”Roboto” font_type=”google” responsive_align=”left”]\n

The Story<\/p>\n[\/mk_fancy_title][\/vc_column][\/mk_page_section][mk_page_section section_layout=”right” padding_top=”25″ padding_bottom=”0″ margin_bottom=”30″ sidebar=”sidebar-21″][vc_column border_color=”#ffffff” css=”.vc_custom_1542639941640{margin-right: 0px !important;margin-left: 0px !important;border-top-width: 0px !important;border-right-width: 0px !important;border-bottom-width: 0px !important;border-left-width: 0px !important;padding-right: 4px !important;padding-left: 0px !important;border-left-color: #ffffff !important;border-right-color: #ffffff !important;border-top-color: #ffffff !important;border-bottom-color: #ffffff !important;}”][mk_fancy_title color=”#005695″ size=”38″ force_font_size=”true” size_phone=”36″ line_height=”80″ font_weight=”300″ txt_transform=”none” margin_bottom=”0″ font_family=”Roboto+Slab” font_type=”google” responsive_align=”left”]\n

May on the Bay<\/p>\n[\/mk_fancy_title][vc_column_text css=”.vc_custom_1546474169858{margin-bottom: 0px !important;}”]\n

Each May and June hundreds of thousands of shorebirds log almost 10,000 miles flying from the southern tip of South America to the Arctic. Thin and tired, they take a break on the Delaware Bay to double their weight on tiny, green eggs.\u00a0 The average bird stays on the Bayshore for about 10 days, feeding all day long, before continuing on to breeding grounds in the Arctic.<\/p>\n

Those green eggs are the eggs of one of Delaware Bay\u2019s most unique animals, a living fossil\u00a0 \u2013 420 million year old horseshoe crabs.\u00a0 The Delaware Bay serves as the spawning ground for the largest concentration of horseshoe crabs in the world. The horseshoe crabs has fascinated many a beach visitor, and also has great importance in the pharmaceutical and fishing industries.<\/p>\n[\/vc_column_text][mk_image src=”https:\/\/whsrn.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/01\/jkam100525_2095-sesa2.jpg” image_size=”full”][mk_padding_divider size=”25″][mk_fancy_title color=”#005695″ size=”38″ force_font_size=”true” size_phone=”36″ font_weight=”300″ txt_transform=”none” margin_bottom=”0″ font_family=”Roboto+Slab” font_type=”google” responsive_align=”left”]The Story is Changing[\/mk_fancy_title][vc_column_text css=”.vc_custom_1546475314305{margin-bottom: 0px !important;}”]\n

Unfortunately, overharvesting of horseshoe crabs in the 1990s, has led to drastic declines in the number of crabs and eggs. Adding to the horseshoe crabs\u2019 challenge is habitat degradation from extreme storms and being overturned by rough waves or stuck on rocks and other hazards.<\/p>\n

With fewer eggs available on this critical stopover, species like the red knot, which is currently listed as threatened in NJ, have seen declines to as much as 80% of their population. The shorebirds are also threatened by human disturbance when they are interrupted from their feeding. Without action, the landscape of the Delaware Bay may be altered forever.<\/p>\n[\/vc_column_text][mk_image src=”https:\/\/whsrn.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/01\/jkam_hsc_delbay-reeds_05202009.jpg” image_size=”full”][mk_padding_divider size=”25″][mk_fancy_title color=”#005695″ size=”38″ force_font_size=”true” size_phone=”36″ line_height=”80″ font_weight=”300″ txt_transform=”none” margin_bottom=”0″ font_family=”Roboto+Slab” font_type=”google” responsive_align=”left”]\n

The Good News<\/p>\n[\/mk_fancy_title][vc_column_text css=”.vc_custom_1546475596201{margin-bottom: 0px !important;}”]\n

Beach restoration, crab harvest restrictions, and bait replacements are slowing helping to recover both species \u2013 b<\/strong>ut\u00a0you can help too\u00a0<\/strong>\u2013 by\u00a0preventing disturbance when shorebirds are feeding, and by rescuing stranded horseshoe crabs.<\/p>\n

Learn how you can\u00a0take action\u00a0and be a\u00a0good visitor to the Bayshore.<\/p>\n[\/vc_column_text][mk_image src=”https:\/\/whsrn.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/01\/red-knot-first-2-c-chamberlin-1.jpg” image_size=”full”][mk_padding_divider size=”25″][mk_fancy_title color=”#005695″ size=”38″ force_font_size=”true” size_phone=”36″ line_height=”80″ font_weight=”300″ txt_transform=”none” margin_bottom=”0″ font_family=”Roboto+Slab” font_type=”google” responsive_align=”left”]\n

Bayshore Residents<\/p>\n[\/mk_fancy_title][vc_column_text css=”.vc_custom_1546475380954{margin-bottom: 0px !important;}”]\n

The good news for the Bayshore is that residents know they have something unique in their backyard. In 2012, a survey of 400 Bayshore residents from DE and NJ:<\/p>\n[\/vc_column_text][mk_custom_list]\n