One year ago, the UPDATE newsletter focused on the health of living resources in the Sound. The outlook was mixed, with both positive and negative news. There was also a hint of caution; a warning that naturally occurring diseases can unpredictably wreak havoc on populations of fish and wildlife. Massive oyster mortalities in 1997- 98 caused by a single-celled parasite called MSX accentuated the point, along with reports of an unusual die-off of American lobster in the fall of 1998, tempering the good news of recent record harvests.
But the 1998 lobster die-off was but a harbinger of what was to come in 1999 when the mass mortality of lobsters in Long Island Sound crippled a multimillion dollar industry and put many fishers and dealers out of work. Marine disease became front page news and a source of editorial page finger pointing.
To view the 2000 Winter newsletter, download the pdf document
Subscribe to receive our e-newsletter, Sound Bytes by providing your email address. Interested in a free copy of our print newsletter, Sound Update? Then also provide your home/company/school address.