By Thane Grauel
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Westport legislators back harvesting ban
The legislation has the support of state Rep. Jonathan Steinberg, D-Westport, and state Sen. Will Haskell, D-Westport, according to Scott Smith, communications director for Friends of Animals, a nationwide advocacy group based in Darien.
Smith, who lives in Westport, said Friends of Animals worked with state Rep. Joseph Gresko, D-Stratford, to help draft the bill. Gresko was successful a few years ago getting part of Stratford posted off-limits to horseshoe fishing.
Smith agreed that measures by the state to restrict some harvesting among the 15 license holders haven’t been sufficient.
“We have concerns there would still be poaching,” he said. “It’s a lot easier to enforce a total ban.”
“Obviously, if you’re down at the beach late May or early June under a full moon at midnight, it wouldn’t be hard to fill up a pickup truck with them.”
Prehistoric creatures inspire young minds
Smith noted that horseshoe crabs are prehistoric creatures.
“I believe seeing a horseshoe crab along the beach has inspired countless children to learn more about the mysteries of the sea and the wonders of nature,” he said. “We’d be much poorer off without them.”
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