Monday, November 28, 2011

Lobster Dinner is in Danger



Global warming may be killing the American lobster. Lobster is by far the most dominant share of the Northeast’s most valuable fishery. However, in the last twenty years, there has been a steady decrease in the amount of big-clawed American lobster. The decrease started in New York, moved to Massachusetts, and has now crept towards Maine. Maine is the main provider of lobster to the country. The scientific consensus on the decreasing number of lobster centers around global warming. It seems that the warming of the waters are killing off the lobster in its southern near-shore range. However, if warmer waters continue Maine may suffer, which could destroy the lobster industry. "We're hoping our cold water will keep it to the south, because so much of our economy is dependent on lobstering," says Pat White, CEO of the Maine Lobstermen's Association and an overseer of the fishery for a joint committee of Northeastern states. "If it hit us, it'd be a disaster." In earlier years, people blamed diseases like the West Nile virus, lobster predators, and infections for the decreasing number of lobsters. Now, all signs lead to global warming. The more southern a state, the more its catch has dwindled. Between 1999 and 2002, New York’s lobster take collapsed by 75 percent, Connecticut by 59 percent, Rhode Island by 53 percent, Massachusetts by 14 percent, and New Hampshire by 3 percent. Scientists think that the warm water may be weakening these cold-blooded lobsters immune systems making them more prone to infections and pollutants. Either way, the waters are warming and the lobster are dying. Like salmon, we may lose another delicious source of food in lobster from the GHGs we are putting into the atmosphere. 

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2004/08/23/tech/main637867.shtml


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