Lobsters
Is Long Island Sound’s lobster population rebounding? This editorial, from the Connecticut Post, asserts that it might be:
Lobstermen are working the waters once again in greater numbers and they report they are finding more keeper-sized lobsters in their traps.
In addition, the lobstermen say their traps are filling once again with nuisance spider crabs, a species very sensitive to low oxygen levels in the water. Such crabs had all but disappeared from Sound waters right before the lobster die-off.
Another encouraging sign is that lobster fishing equipment sales have steadily rebounded.
No indication, however, what the source of this information is. One discouraging note is that the editorial says the big lobster die-off occurred in 1998. Dead lobsters were indeed reported from the far western part of the Sound late in the ’98 season, but the big die-off was in 1999, the year of Tropical Storm Floyd. Click the Long Island Sound Study link to the right for information about the die-off and its causes.
Lobstermen are working the waters once again in greater numbers and they report they are finding more keeper-sized lobsters in their traps.
In addition, the lobstermen say their traps are filling once again with nuisance spider crabs, a species very sensitive to low oxygen levels in the water. Such crabs had all but disappeared from Sound waters right before the lobster die-off.
Another encouraging sign is that lobster fishing equipment sales have steadily rebounded.
No indication, however, what the source of this information is. One discouraging note is that the editorial says the big lobster die-off occurred in 1998. Dead lobsters were indeed reported from the far western part of the Sound late in the ’98 season, but the big die-off was in 1999, the year of Tropical Storm Floyd. Click the Long Island Sound Study link to the right for information about the die-off and its causes.
posted by Tom Andersen at 10:47 AM
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