Long Island Lobster Industry Fund to Support The Lobster Institute
Contact: Cathy Billings, Lobster Institute; (207) 581-2751; cell (207) 949-2028
ORONO — The Long Island Sound Lobster Fund has been established at the University of Maine Foundation for the benefit of the Lobster Institute at the University of Maine. This fund was established with a gift to the Institute’s C.O.R.E. Campaign from people who work in Long Island Sound in Connecticut and New York. They experienced a tragic loss of the lobster stocks in Long Island Sound in 1999, decimating the industry and greatly affecting the lives of the more than 450 lobster industry families.
Those affected believed the cause of the fishery’s collapse was largely due to the aerial spraying of pesticides along the sound. Officials from the Long Island Sound lobster industry brought suit against Cheminova, Clarke Mosquito Control Products, Inc. and Agrevo Environmental Health, Inc. claiming that these companies improperly used pesticides, causing damage to the Long Island Sound fishery. The case was settled, with the final disbursement of settlement funds occurring earlier this year. The lobster industry representatives insisted that $100,000 to support the Lobster Institute be written into the court settlement, in recognition of the actions of the Lobster Institute as one of the first scientific organization to respond to the crisis, and of their ongoing efforts in support of the lobster industry in Long Island Sound and elsewhere. According to Nick Crismale, president of the Connecticut Commercial Lobstermen’s Association, “It was the Lobster Institute that was the first to take us seriously when we thought there might be a link between the lobster die-off and the heavy spraying of pesticides to control West Nile Virus. The Institute helped us find the right research reports and gain the knowledge to back our concerns. The Lobster Institute has a real concern for lobstermen as well as for the lobster resource. They do their best, with limited funding, to get the science we need to better understand lobsters and what affects them, so we can secure our lobster resource and make better management decisions. Our contribution is to support all that the Institute does for the lobster fishery. They were there for us and we thought this was something we could do for them in return.”
A ceremonial check presentation took place in Guilford, Conn. on August 15, hosted by Bart Mansi at his Guilford Lobster Pound wharf. Crismale presented $100,000 to Dr. Bob Bayer, executive director of the Lobster Institute, and signed a document officially establishing the Long Island Sound Lobster Fund. The purpose of the endowed fund is to help ensure that the Lobster Institute is always available to respond to the needs of the lobster industry and pursue the necessary research to safeguard the lobster resource while maintaining a vital fishery.
Others interested in preserving the health of the lobster resource and the integrity of its marine environment are welcome to contribute to the Long Island Sound Lobster Fund, or to create an endowed fund of their own through the Lobster Institute’s C.O.R.E. Campaign. The C.O.R.E. Campaign is underway to secure the conservation, outreach, research, and education programs of the Lobster Institut for the future of the lobster industry. For more information, contact Cathy Billings at 207-581-2751 or cathy.billings@umit.maine.edu. Information about the C.O.R.E. Campaign is also available on the Lobster Institute’s website at www.lobsterinstitute.org.