An earlier spring may sound nice, unless you're a New England lobster.
New findings reveal that as coastal waters in the northeastern U.S. continue to warm—bottom temperatures in Long Island Sound have increased 0.7°F per decade over the last 40 years—resident lobsters are becoming increasingly susceptible to epizootic shell disease, a condition that has depleted the southern New England population and severely impacted the local lobster fishery.
An earlier spring may sound nice, unless you're a New England lobster.
New findings reveal that as coastal waters in the northeastern U.S. continue to warm—bottom temperatures in Long Island Sound have increased 0.7°F per decade over the last 40 years—resident lobsters are becoming increasingly susceptible to epizootic shell disease, a condition that has depleted the southern New England population and severely impacted the local lobster fishery.
The findings stem from a collaboration between the Virginia Institute of Marine Science and Dominion Energy’s Millstone Environmental Laboratory. The lab maintains a unique, long-term record of lobster abundance and health in waters near Dominion Energy’s Millstone Power Station in Waterford, Connecticut.
The research, funded by NOAA’s Saltonstall-Kennedy Program and led by then postdoctoral associate Maya Groner of VIMS, suggests that the increased prevalence of shell disease in area lobsters stems from two factors—an earlier onset of warmth-induced spring molting, and hotter summers.
Read more at Virginia Institute of Marine Science
Image: The research team monitored the progression of epizootic shell disease by comparing disease state in tagged and re-captured lobsters. CREDITS: Maya Groner / Virginia Institute of Marine Science
