Lobsters' Shells Wasting Away In Long Island Sound

HARTFORD, CT (WCBS 880) - There is more ecological bad news for the dying population of lobsters in Long Island Sound.

LISTEN: WCBS 880 Connecticut Bureau Chief Fran Schneidau reports

Toxic compounds, which make their way into the waters of Long Island Sound, are taking their toll on lobsters.

University of Connecticut research professor Hans Laufer says these by-products of plastics, rubber, and paints are competing with the elements in lobsters critical to forming their shells.

"When you discard the plastics and get rid of the detergents, it ends up in the marine environment," professor Laufer told WCBS 880 Connecticut Bureau Chief Fran Schneidau.

Laufer notes the lobster population in Long Island Sound has diminished dramatically since the warming of the waters in 1990s. This latest attack, he says, is causing the shell of the lobster to waste away, further eroding the population.