Connecticut lobster harvests declining

HARTFORD, Conn., July 13 (UPI) -- Lobstermen in Connecticut say they fear for their financial future because of declining lobster harvests brought on by warming water trends.

Nick Crismale said he continues to fish for the profitable crustaceans, though their numbers have fallen dramatically as the temperature of area waters has risen, The Boston Globe reported Sunday.

"I've got 800 traps in the water and I've got another 1,200 to put in," Crismale said. "I don't know why I'm putting them in, but I'm putting them in."

Marine specialists have warned that if the warming trend continues, the population of the cold-water creatures in the region could be wiped out.

At the same time, the increased water temperature means blue crabs are flourishing.

Mark Tedesco, who heads up the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's Long Island Sound office, told the Globe the two trends may represent a major ecological swing.

"It's certainly possible we're seeing a shift in Long Island Sound from the (ecological) system that it's been," Tedesco said.