Conn. lobstermen say closing lobster season won't solve larger problems of collapsing catch

Lobstermen say the second annual closing of the Long Island Sound lobster fishery won't solve the problem of persistent declines in their catch.

Last year for the first time, the state closed the Long Island Sound lobster fishery from Sept. 8 to Nov. 28 in response to falling lobster populations.

The Day of New London reports (http://bit.ly/1tEcL40 ) that as the second seasonal closing starts, the state's remaining lobstermen blame the declining catch on pollution from sewage plants, pesticide and rising temperatures of the Sound that interferes with lobsters' metabolism.

At its peak in 1998, 3.7 million pounds of lobsters were caught by Connecticut's commercial lobstermen. In 2013, it was less than 120,000 pounds, down 97 percent.

Nicholas Crismale, president of the Connecticut Commercial Lobstermen's Association, says the industry in the Sound is basically gone.

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Information from: The Day, http://www.theday.com