It has been more than a year since the lobster die-off and the collapse of the lobster fishery in Long Island Sound. This environmental catastrophe was declared a disaster by Connecticut Secretary of Commerce William Daly. Still there has been no substantial research conducted into the investigation of the causes of the lobster mortalities. The critical nature of this situation should not be lost on the people of Maine – what happened in Connecticut might easily happen on the Maine coast if people are caught unaware and unprepared.

Initially, this past spring, there was great interest exhibited in studying the causes of the lobster die-off by scientists and biologists at a symposium held in Stanford, Conn., in April – and the lobstermen saw hope that answers might be found. Yet, still, there has been no research and no answers.

After another year, the lobstermen who are left, such as myself, have set our traps and continued to try to make a living despite the obvious lack of lobsters in the sound. This fall has produced even less lobsters than the fall of 1999, and it is now more apparent than ever that the lobster fishery is not only gone in Western Long Island Sound, but inevitably will be gone throughout the entire sound.

The collapse of the lobster fishery in Long Island Sound is the initial indication of the demise of the ecosystem in these waters. A way of life will eventually be lost, and its historical heritage will be forgotten. If pollution management plans are not implemented soon, and caution in the use of pesticides is not used, we may broach the threshold at which the sound can sustain living aquatic life.

I urge all Mainers to be careful and plan well, and provide for the research and environmental monitoring that may help prevent what has happened in Long Island Sound from happening in coastal waters throughout New England.

Nick Crismale

President and lobsterman

Connecticut Commercial Lobstermen’s Association

Branford, Conn.