SELC statement on dismissal of SC Attorney General challenge to horseshoe crab protections in Cape Romain 

CHARLESTON, S.C. — This week, a case to challenge the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s authority to manage commercial horseshoe crab harvesting and protect threatened wildlife in the Cape Romain Wildlife Refuge was dismissed. Last year, the South Carolina State Attorney General’s office filed the case, which challenged a landmark decision resulting from an SELC lawsuit on behalf of Defenders of Wildlife that had shut down the harvest of horseshoe crabs in Cape Romain. In response, SELC intervened and filed the motion to dismiss the State’s case, which was granted by U.S. District Judge Bruce H. Hendricks. 

In response to the case’s dismissal, SELC Staff Attorney Carl Brzorad released the following statement: 

“2023 saw huge wins for horseshoe crabs, the red knots that depend on their eggs, and all those who enjoy these marvelous creatures––not just in Cape Romain but across the South Carolina coast. The dismissal of South Carolina’s lawsuit seeking to re-open Cape Romain to commercial horseshoe crab harvesting marks yet another victory in the saga to protect these species. We are heartened to see Judge Hendricks vindicate the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s duty to protect the imperiled species harbored by this critical wildlife refuge.”