Have you ever wondered what it might be like to be a horseshoe crab biologist? Well, I have the wonderful opportunity to be one! A typical day begins at 8 am loading equipment at the St. Jones Reserve to a chorus of chirping birds and tree frogs. What does a horseshoe crab biologist use? We use plenty of small buckets for sediment samples, a couple ropes marked off at three meter intervals, some stakes painted orange, a clicker-counter, metal sediment slicer, and most important, a sediment core sampler!
Once at the beach, the sampling areas are established according to the high tide line and signs of horseshoe crab activity. The marked ropes are set up to establish three meter by twenty meter transects. Each biologist collects 20 five-cm deep sediment core samples randomly throughout each transect and places them into a bucket with a label with the date, beach name and transect designation. This is repeated on 3-4 beaches a day.
The sample buckets are then brought back to the lab for processing. The first step is to remove as much gravel, sand, and fine organic particles from the horseshoe crab eggs as possible. This is done by emptying the sample bucket into a tall series of progressively finer wire-mesh sieves and using water to spray the eggs through the screen while separating out the rocks, shells and gravel. If there is a large amount of gravel remaining in the egg sample (egg-size 1.6 mm), the sample is then run through a specially designed elutriation system (fondly referred to as Eggbert) which uses water to separate out the less dense eggs from the denser sediments. Once the eggs have been separated out they are ready for counting! If the number of eggs in the sample is small (< 4,000), the eggs are counted by hand. If the number of eggs in the sample is large, there are counted volumetrically in a graduated cylinder. The egg count data and location data is tracked for each beach each year and provides information regarding the availability of horseshoe crab eggs as a food source for migrating shorebirds.
So, where is the fun? Imagine walking onto a beach and seeing thousands of horseshoe crabs lining the shore, hunting for tagged crabs after sampling, photographing hundreds to thousands of shorebirds while they forage for eggs. Like music? Lab time offers a great opportunity to sing along to your favorite tunes while sieving samples and counting eggs! Change the lyrics to a classic tune to create your own horseshoe crab theme song or collect shells, fossils and cool rocks from the sediment samples while sieving eggs. Perhaps making bucket towers or cracking egg jokes while sifting and counting helps make the work more fun. But most importantly, making lifelong friends while conducting important scientific work is the best benefit! And, that is what it is like in a day in the life of a horseshoe crab biologist.
By Amy Brossard
Interested in visiting a freshwater estuary? The National Estuarine Research Reserve system added another Reserve site in October 2010 raising the number of Reserves to 28 around the United States. The Lake Superior NERR is comprised of approximately 16,000 acres and is located along the confluence of the St. Louis River and Lake Superior. You may see some familiar habitats within their Reserve boundary including freshwater marshes, sandy beaches, and dunes. Have you visited all 28 Reserves? We encourage you to do so and you can start by visiting the Lake Superior NERR or stop by and see us here in Delaware. For more information on the Lake Superior National Estuarine Research Reserve visit them on the 
Did you see the movie stars at the St. Jones Reserve this past Saturday? They attended the premiere of the new St. Jones River video entitled The Price of Progress…The Promise of Protection in which they starred. The 20-minute video explored the St. Jones River through time. The river is both rich in natural history and cultural history. If you missed the show you still have an opportunity to see it as we will be showing it again this winter. Copies will also be available for educational use.
Delaware Coastal Programs, Manager, David Carter retired from the Department of Natural Resources & Environmental Control (DNREC) on September 1, 2012 following a 25+ year service to the State of Delaware. For over twenty five years David Carter has dedicated both his career and personal time to the protection and restoration of Delaware’s wetlands. As a biologist and Regional Manager with the DNREC Division of Fish and Wildlife his vision and drive was key to establishing the Northern Delaware Wetlands Restoration Program, which continues to be implemented today and has restored hundreds of acres of wetland. As a Program Manager with the Delaware Coastal Programs he employed innovative planning and funding tools to improve the management and protection of wetlands in the state, through development of the Pea Patch Island Heronry Special Area Management Plan, Coastal and Estuarine Land Protection Program, horseshoe crab and shorebird monitoring, Marsh Vulnerability Index and the System Wide Monitoring Program for the National Estuarine Research Reserve. In his home life, as an active hunter and member of Ducks Unlimited, Dave has created wetland and habitat on his 40-acre farm, providing a demonstration site for others. In addition, David has cultivated a climate of innovation and implementation-focused planning for the next generation of coastal and wetland managers. “Congratulations and best wishes for a wonderful future filled with continued success and happiness.”
Many east coasters have heard of brackish water estuaries…where rivers meet the sea. But, have you ever heard of a freshwater estuary? The National Estuarine Research Reserve (NERR) System actually has two freshwater estuaries…Old Woman Creek in Ohio and Lake Superior in Wisconsin. Freshwater estuaries do not contain salt water but rather, are combinations of river and lake water (large lakes). The river water and lake water are chemically different and the estuary tends to be driven by storm surges and seiches (shifting of lake water) rather than tides. Today’s destination is the Old Woman Creek NERR located on the southwestern shore of Lake Erie just east of Huron, Ohio. It was the first freshwater estuary adopted into the NERR System in 1980. Old Woman Creek NERR encompasses approximately 573 acres and includes critical spawning and nursery ground for many recreational and commercial fisheries including crappie, blue gill, and channel catfish. So, if you are taking a trip near Huron, Ohio stop in and visit the Old Woman Creek Reserve! For more information about freshwater estuaries visit the 
