May 9, 2016 — Long Island lobstermen, already straining under the weight of a seasonal closure of the Long Island Sound and sharply reduced lobster populations, face the potential for more closures as federal regulators work to rebuild a depleted stock.
Local lobstermen oppose closures, and question how regulators are making their decisions.
At a meeting of the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission last week, the American Lobster Management Board agreed to review a series of new measures to address what they called the continuing decline in the Southern New England lobster fishery, which includes the Long Island Sound. The fishery has been affected by environmental factors and fishing activity, the board said.
“Our most recent [2015] assessment showed that the stock has continued to decline and we’re at record low abundance right now,” said Megan Ware, fishery management plan coordinator for the commission.