LEWES, Del. (AP) — Researchers announced Wednesday that a new bait alternative may help reduce the number of horseshoe crabs harvested to be used as bait.

Female horseshoe crabs are considered the best bait to attract eel and whelk, also known as conch. But harvest limits are in place to protect the population in the Delaware Bay and threatened migratory shorebirds that feed on the crabs’ eggs.