Lobstermen: New York to Blame for Die-off

Faced with yet another die-off that started shortly after Tropical Storm Irene came through the area, a group of Connecticut lobstermen is reportedly seeking help in getting the State of New York to stop using an insecticide used for killing mosquitoes that they say also kills the lobsters in Long Island Sound.

According to an article in the Connecticut Post, New York State still uses the pesticide methoprene in storm sewer catch basins to kill mosquitoes that may carry the West Nile virus. Meanwhile Connecticut recently switched from methoprene to bacillus thuringiensis israelensis, or bti, which is reportedly less harmful to the tasty crustaceans, the report states.

The group of lobstermen, led by state Rep. Terry Backer (D-Stratford), executive director of the nonprofit Soundkeeper Fund, is reportedly putting pressure on Connecticut state legislators to see if they in turn can put pressure on New York State legislators to ban the use of methoprene in New York. They argue that as long as New York continues to use methoprene, especially on Long Island and in the coastal Westchester County towns, the Sound's once $100 million lobster industry will never have a chance to recover to its pre-1999 levels.

Although there is no scientific proof that methoprene is the cause of the lobster die-offs that began in Long Island Sound in 1999, there is enough anecdotal evidence to indicate that it is playing a role: For example, the lobster die-offs did not begin until the fall of 1999, when the pesticides were first used, and there has been a die-off every fall, corresponding with the with the quantity of insecticides used and their frequency of use, the lobstermen claim.

What’s more it is scientific fact that lobsters are “distant cousins” of mosquitoes — therefore it makes sense that they would be negatively affected by insecticides once they enter the water.

It remains unclear, however, how much influence Connecticut can have in persuading New York to switch to a safer insecticide. State Sen. Bob Duff (D-Norwalk) and State Sen. Carlo Leone (D-Stamford) have reportedly promised to gather as much information as possible and will bring the matter before the General Assembly when it meets again in February.