Commercial Fisherman Sues Branford & New Haven Over Sewage Issues

Nick Crismale, a commercial fisherman based in Branford, has sued the town of Branford, claiming that its sewage treatment plant has ruined his shellfish beds and that pollution from the plant is threatening the public trust.

The New Haven Register wrote about it this morning. Near the end of the story it offhandedly mentions something that I don’t think has been reported yet: that Crismale has also filed a suit against New Haven for the huge sewage spill in late April and early May.

Sphere regulars may remember this as the spill I’ve been railing about not only because it elicited almost no outrage but because it prompted the state attorney general to announce that the state was investigating the incident – an investigation that as far as I can tell has gone nowhere. (See my previous post, for example.)

Crismale is co-owner of the Branford River Lobster Company, and he is president of the Connecticut Commercial Lobsterman’s Association. The Register reported:

Crismale said his five-boat, 12-man operation was shut down for almost two weeks afterward, and he wants compensation.