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Managers consider how to save southern New England lobsters

OLD LYME – The decline in southern New England’s lobster population continues to worsen despite state efforts and regulations to boost the numbers. ...
lobster

OLD LYME – The decline in southern New England’s lobster population continues to worsen despite state efforts and regulations to boost the numbers.

The Department of Energy and Environmental Protection says Connecticut’s best year was 1998, when lobstermen landed 3.7 million pounds of the shellfish.

Since then the catch has declined 93 percent.

The subcommittee of the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission discussed many issues and possible remedies.

While lobstermen believe poor water quality is to blame for the lobster’s decline, DEEP says a big factor is warmer water.

“It’s clearly getting warmer, and it is routinely exceeding this time of year, August, September especially, exceeding what lobsters can tolerate,” David Simpson, DEEP’s Marine Fisheries Director, said.

The subcommittee plans to present its findings and recommendations to the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission when they meet in November in St. Augustine, Florida.

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