Environmentalists are calling on New York state lawmakers to save the horseshoe crab.

Advocates rallied in Northport on Tuesday to urge Gov. Kathy Hochul to sign the “Horseshoe Crab Protection Act,” which would ban taking the animals from state waters for commercial or medical use.

Advocates say the horseshoe crab population has been plummeting over the last decade. They say many species in the local ecosystem rely on the crab’s eggs – including an endangered sea turtle.

"The loggerhead sea turtle, an endangered species of turtle found right here on Long Island and here in New York, needs those eggs to survive and as a source of protein,” says advocate Adrienne Esposito.

The bill was passed by the state Senate and Assembly this year.