From Out of the Past - Part XIV

            If it is true that “Necessity is the mother of invention,” then the proverbial “magic bullet” arrived by a most circuitous route.  But to understand that “invention” we need to take yet another side trip.  We need to take a look at how horseshoe crabs were traditionally used as bait.
            When watermen fish for eel or conch, they would typically take a whole male or half-female horseshoe crab and place it on a spike inside a fishing pot.  There, the smell of the crab attracted the targeted catch.  Once trapped, however, the conch (along with many other creatures) is free to eat the bait, reducing the bait’s effectiveness (Once the bait was consumed by the trapped animals, so was its effectiveness at catching more animals.).  One fisherman, Frank Eicherly, began experimenting with a plastic mesh bag that held part of the horseshoe crab to the bottom of a conch pot with bungee cords.  What Eicherly discovered (another endorsement for the saying “The best ideas are often the simplest ideas.”) is that the bag didn’t diminish the lure of the bait, but it did significantly prevent its consumption.  Eicherly discovered additional benefits of this procedure including the fact that he used less bait, changed it less often, and was able to reduce his need for horseshoe crabs by as much as 76% (Imagine reporting to your boss that you were able to increase the company’s profits by 76%.  He (or she) might be doing an Irish jig on your desk [admittedly, not a pretty sight!]).
            This “invention” was nothing short of phenomenal.  It was quickly picked up by several groups including the Environmental Research and Development Group (ERDG – the primary horseshoe crab preservation group in the world), the Virginia Institute of Marine Sciences Sea Grant program, and Delaware’s Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control.  Tests were run, experiments were conducted, and studies were commissioned to determine the feasibility of using bait bags to reduce the harvesting of horseshoe crabs.  Viola!  In quick order mandates were passed and policies were enacted for the use of bait bags by the conch industry.  The bags were subsequently manufactured in large quantities and distributed free of charge to watermen.  The payoff - substantial declines in horseshoe crab bait use.

---