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Lobstermen Say Banning Two Pesticides Saved Industry On Long Island Sound

NORWALK, Conn. – The banning of two pesticides designed to kill mosquitoes has led to a rebound in the lobster population and a resurgence of the lobstering business in Long Island Sound, according to Norwalk lobsterman Mike Kalaman.

Sen. Bob Duff, Rep. Chris Perone, Sen. Carlo Leone, Mike Kalaman, Norm Bloom and Charlie Wetmore gather in Norwalk to celebrate the return of lobsters to Long Island Sound after the banning of two pesticides.

Sen. Bob Duff, Rep. Chris Perone, Sen. Carlo Leone, Mike Kalaman, Norm Bloom and Charlie Wetmore gather in Norwalk to celebrate the return of lobsters to Long Island Sound after the banning of two pesticides.

Photo Credit: Casey Donahue

Kalaman, along with fellow fishermen Norm Bloom and Charlie Wetmore, joined state Sen. Bob Duff (D-Darien, Norwalk), state Sen. Carlo Leone (D-Darien, Stamford) and state Rep. Chris Perone (D-Norwalk) to celebrate the passing of the law that banned the two pesticides in 2013. They said the chemicals had caused a severe drop in the number of lobsters in the Sound.

“It was pretty devastating. The effects of these pesticides really grabbed a hold of these lobsters,” Kalaman said.  “It was very disheartening to haul up the traps and see them weak, dying, rotting; it’s a disgrace for such a beautiful creature. The environmental conditions have turned around tremendously, starting with the passing of this bill, which was absolutely instrumental for this recovery effort.”

The two chemicals, methoprene and resmethrin, were sprayed to kill off mosquitoes in an effort to fight West Nile virus. After the spraying stopped, the chemicals drained into the storm drains, making their way to the Sound. Because it attacked arthropods, the phylum that mosquitoes and lobsters both belong to, it had a strong impact on sea life.

“We had gone from 3.7 million pounds of lobsters in 1998 to 142,000 pounds two years ago. And obviously that meant many of our lobstermen in Connecticut were out of work and out of business, and we needed to do something about that,” said Duff.

The bill banning the two pesticides was passed in June of 2013 and went into effect in September of that year. The chemicals are banned from being put into storm drains unless a city has a population of 100,000 or more and a documented death from West Nile Virus.

“We have a lobster community on the rebound. What was once a multibillion-dollar industry was almost devastated to the point that we were about to lose it,” said Leone. “It was due to the efforts of the lobstermen and all the local fishermen being the first line of defense, and telling  us as legislators that there was a problem.”

“Three years ago, it was fishing for a loss. The only reason we went through the motions was because we believed in the fact that the resource could rebound if given the chance,” said Kalaman. The lobstermen began going up to Hartford and working with legislators to get the chemicals banned.

“We are the ultimate stewards of the environment, and I say that because we count on the balance, the equilibrium that Mother Nature provides in Long Island Sound for our livelihoods.”

Bloom said that other sea life has also seen an increase since the pesticides were banned.

“Just the other day was the first day in a long time I thought the ground was clean, I pulled the dredge up and it was full of spider crabs,” he said. “I haven’t seen that in years.”

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