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Christmas Comes Early for Horseshoe Crabs! Governor Hochul Signs Landmark Legislation to Protect Horseshoe Crabs

 
 

CCE applauds Governor Hochul for signing the Horseshoe Crab Protection Act which will phase out harvesting horseshoe crabs from New York waters.

For immediate release: December 20, 2025
For more information, contact:
Adrienne Esposito, Executive Director, 516-390-7150, aesposito@citizenscampaign.org

Albany, NY – Governor Hochul has signed the Horseshoe Crab Protection Act, which prohibits the taking of horseshoe crabs from state waters for commercial and biomedical uses.  The bill will phase out taking horseshoe crabs over a three-year time frame and completely banning the antiquated practice by 2029.  Horseshoe crabs are a keystone species in the food web that have walked the earth for 350 million years, but populations are in decline in the Northeast. This decline also threatens many species that depend on horseshoe crab eggs for food including several bird species and fish such as striped bass, weakfish, flounder and more.   The Senate and Assembly passed legislation for the last two years that would prevent the taking of this crucial species for commercial or biomedical uses. The Governor vetoed the bill last year. This year, recent data shows further declines in horseshoe crab populations specifically in Long Island Sound.  By signing the bill, New York has joined efforts with both New Jersey who banned harvesting in 2008 and Connecticut who banned it in 2024. 

Adrienne Esposito, Executive Director for Citizens Campaign for the Environment, issued the following statement:
“Christmas came early for the Horseshoe Crabs! This is an amazing holiday gift, and Governor Hochul has given us a big reason to celebrate! Horseshoe crabs have walked the Earth since the time of the dinosaurs, and we want to make sure they don’t go extinct. The Horseshoe Crab Protection Act will prevent the taking of horseshoe crab for commercial and biomedical purposes, allowing horseshoe crab populations to rebound and New York to protect this historic species for future generations. This is an incredible holiday gift to our ecosystem and to the communities who love this important species.   CCE applauds Governor Hochul, Senator Holyman and Assemblywoman Glick , for working together with environmental stakeholders, and scientific experts to ensure that the Horseshoe Crab Protection Act was signed into law this year.”

Long Islanders Call on Gov. Hochul to Sign the Horseshoe Crab Protection Bill into Law

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Will New York Governor Kathy Hochul sign or again veto a bill to protect horseshoe crabs that, by large majorities, passed again in the State Legislature earlier this year? Hochul vetoed the same bill last year.

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In Brief:

  • Experts warn New York could face energy shortages as early as 2027.

  • Offshore wind offers clean, reliable power and price stability.

  • South Fork Wind Farm already powers 70,000 Long Island homes.

  • Upgraded transmission and new wind projects are urgently needed.

This fall, New Yorkers across the state showed up and spoke up to demand clean, affordable, reliable, safe and healthy energy infrastructure during the state’s energy plan hearings. Tragically, the Trump administration is wreaking havoc on our nation’s clean energy progress, making it more important than ever for New York to step up and lead the way to the sustainable, resilient system we need. Right now, we’re not on track.

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Don’t be crabby, environmental groups tell Hochul

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Northport Harbor was the backdrop for a press conference on Tuesday, Oct. 7, at which a coalition of environmental groups asked Gov. Kathy Hochul to sign legislation to protect the horseshoe crab in New York State. 

Environmentalists rally for Horseshoe Crab Protection Act at Northport Harbor

Environmentalists rally for Horseshoe Crab Protection Act at Northport Harbor

On Oct 7, representatives from 15 environmentalist groups gathered in Northport Harbor to rally for the Horseshoe Crab Protection Act (S.4289/A.4997), which would ban the harvesting of horseshoe crabs in New York for commercial and biomedical use. A study released last month, authored by Dr. Rebha Raviraj from Maritime Aquarime at Norwalk, showed a decrease of 2-9% in horseshoe crab populations in the Long Island Sound. At the event, Dr. Raviraj described the losses across the 46-year study as “very significant,” linking them to habitat loss, over-harvesting, insufficient management practices, and climate change.

Advocates urge Gov. Hochul to sign bill to save horseshoe crabs

Advocates urge Gov. Hochul to sign bill to save horseshoe crabs

Environmentalists are calling on New York state lawmakers to save the horseshoe crab.

Advocates rallied in Northport on Tuesday to urge Gov. Kathy Hochul to sign the “Horseshoe Crab Protection Act,” which would ban taking the animals from state waters for commercial or medical use.

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On Sept. 29, a mix of grassroots organizers, student activists, utility workers, elected officials, and environmental professionals voiced varying priorities at the New York State draft energy plan hearing at Stony Brook University. The university saw multiple outdoor rallies in addition to 2 ½ hours of public comments on the 15-year plan, with concerns covering jobs, affordability, environmental safety, and more. 

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Brookhaven officials have been ordered by state environmental authorities to prepare a landfill cleanup plan that could include closing the 51-year-old facility after an inspection earlier this year found elevated levels of so-called "forever chemicals" in a miles-long plume emanating from the dump.

1st day without Clean Pass increases traffic to Long Island

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Thousands of cars that had been given an HOV lane exemption were forced back into the regular lanes on the Long Island Expressway today.

Drivers reported experiencing more traffic today on the Long Island Expressway, the first day after the Clean Pass program expired.

Editorial: Federal money, not delays needed to protect the water we drink

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No place could be more impacted than Nassau County by the EPA’s decision to postpone by two years the deadline for water utilities to comply with new federal water standards for PFAS until 2031.

These chemicals are dangerous, having been linked to a large number of illnesses – kidney cancer, testicular cancer, high cholesterol, immune suppression, thyroid disease, and pregnancy complications.

The Editorial Board: New Yorkers deserve better oversight of local waterways than the DEC is providing

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Attorney General Letitia James is right when she states: “Every New Yorker deserves clean, safe water.”

But it takes more than an assertion to make clean water happen. Fighting the pollution that continues to threaten the water we drink and area waterways that support wildlife and recreation takes leadership and aggressive measures from the state. It doesn’t look like we’re getting enough of either from New York’s Department of Environmental Conservation. 

Long Island's vulnerable South Shore Estuary Reserve gets a $2.4 million funding boost

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The Long Island South Shore Estuary Reserve, a sprawling 70-mile-long network of waterways vulnerable to environmental pressures, will receive a $2.4 million infusion of state funding.

The New York State Department of State, at a press conference at Tobay Beach Wednesday afternoon, said eight municipalities, nonprofits and agencies earned the awards through the South Shore Estuary Reserve Local Assistance Grant Program.

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After the discovery of chemical drums at Bethpage Community Park last year, Oyster Bay officials worried about the presence of hexavalent chromium, a cancer-causing toxin, in the soil near the drums, federal court records show.

They were concerned by what they saw: yellow and green sludge, a sign of chromium contamination, according to a filing in the town's lawsuit against Northrop Grumman, which seeks to accelerate and widen the scope of the plan to clean up the 18-acre property Grumman Aerospace used as a toxic dumping grounds for decades.

New York State announces record investment in water infrastructure

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In the most recent fiscal year, New York made more investments in water infrastructure than in any prior year.

Announcing the record spending Wednesday at Albany’s Corning Preserve, President and CEO of New York’s Environmental Facilities Corporation Maureen Coleman says nearly 330 projects were executed with financial assistance in the last fiscal year -- a 55 percent increase year-to-year.

Governor Hochul Celebrates Record $3.4 Billion Investment in Water Infrastructure in State Fiscal Year 2025

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Environmental Facilities Corporation's Financial Assistance is Making Projects Affordable for New Yorkers, Safeguarding Drinking Water, and Improving Water Quality in Support of Nation-Leading Clean Water Goals. More Than a Half Billion Dollars Awarded to Local Governments that Worked with Governor Hochul’s Community Assistance Teams

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