Latest news with #DepartmentofEnergyandEnvironmentalProtection
Yahoo
4 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
CT boating registrations on decline since pandemic. Officials urge safety despite drop in fatalities
After a pandemic-fueled boating boom in 2021, the number of registered vessels in Connecticut is steadily declining. In 2021, amid the height of the pandemic, there were 93,074 registered vessels in Connecticut, according to data from the state's Department of Energy and Environmental Protection. Since then, those numbers have been steadily declining. In 2022, there were 91,161 registered vessels, and in 2023, there were 89,699 registered vessels filed with the state. Data for 2024 has been not been released yet. 'Last year we were right around 90,000 registered vessels, so we're seeing a bit of a stabilization now,' said Jacob Budris of the DEEP boating division. 'We did see a peak during the pandemic, but numbers have since gone back to about where we were pre-COVID. So what we're seeing is nothing out of the ordinary.' In Connecticut, all boats with motors — regardless of length — and all sailboats powered by sail alone — 19 1/2 feet or longer — must be registered before launching, according to officials. The bulk of registrations in 2023 were for recreational vessels with 89,172 along with 527 commercial vessels, according to data. Of that, 87,935 were motorized vessels and 1,237 were non-motorized vessels. In addition to being registered, all recreational boaters are required to have either a Safe Boating Certificate or a Certificate of Personal Watercraft Operation to operate a boat in Connecticut. A Safe Boating Certificate permits an individual to operate any recreational vessel, except for a personal watercraft, on Connecticut's waters. A Certificate of Personal Watercraft Operation allows an individual to operate any recreational vessel, including a personal watercraft such as a jet ski. Budris said that as the number of registered vessels rose during the pandemic, so did the number of reportable boating incidents on the state's waterways. In 2020, there were 67 reportable boating incidents. In 2023, there was nearly half that number with 35. Officials said that more awareness around boating safety is partly due to the reduction in incidents. A boating incident is required to be reported to DEEP if the incident results in the death of any person, injury of a person who requires medical attention beyond first aid, if the incident totals damages is in excess of $500 or if the vessel is a total loss, officials said. Despite a decline in boating incidents, the state has experienced a rash of fatalities in recent years, with a peak of seven fatal boating incidents in 2022 resulting in nine fatalities. In 2022, a child died and three others were hospitalized when their boat capsized at Wyassup Lake in North Stonington. Also that month, two men died and two others were listed in critical condition after their boat capsized on Long Island Sound. In 2023, the number of fatalities fell slightly, to six fatal boating incidents resulting in seven deaths, according to state data. In the same year, there were four drowning fatalities reported, an increase from three in 2022. During the height of the state's boating boom in 2021, there were six drowning fatalities reported that year. Last year, boating fatalities declined with two fatal boating incidents occurring in Connecticut: One on Labor Day in Old Saybrook and another on Candlewood Lake in May. The Old Saybrook incident resulted in three deaths and six injuries after a boat crashed into a breakwall. In the Candlewood Lake incident, a 20-year-old woman died after being struck by a boat propeller. Despite the slight drop in fatalities, officials are stressing safety this summer. Budris said that alcohol impairment often plays a part in boating incidents and fatalities. Officials said that between 2018 and 2023, 21% of all fatalities on the state's waterways were due to alcohol impairment. Out of 285 reportable incidents in the same time period, 6% were deemed alcohol related, according to state data. 'We still are having a number of fatal incidents on our waterways,' Budris said. 'I can't stress safety enough this summer. It's the beginning of the season and a lot of people get really excited to get out on the water. Some people may launch their boats without going through their safety equipment. Before the season starts or even before you get on the water, make sure life jackets are ready to go and usable. Be sure safety equipment is not expired or damaged. The hope is you never have to use it, but it is really important in case you do. ' Stephen Underwood can be reached at sunderwood@
Yahoo
26-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
CT has over 100K acres in wildlife management areas. Here's what sets them apart from state parks.
With the state's recent acquisition of 643 acres of wildlife management area in Killingly, officials said that Connecticut now has approximately 135,000 total acres of state-owned wildlife management areas. Wildlife management areas are undeveloped natural areas managed primarily by the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection's wildlife division for the conservation of both aquatic and non-aquatic wildlife, according to the agency. Wildlife management areas feature unique habitats and are intended to sustain or improve biodiversity, as opposed to state parks, which are mostly aimed at human recreation, according to Teresa Clark, supervisor for DEEP's Wildlife Division Habitat Program. 'What sets WMAs apart from state parks is that the primary focus is on wildlife and not human enjoyment, while our state forests are primarily focused on managing a healthy forest canopy,' Clark said. 'So the primary focus for WMAs is to have land for wildlife to sustain their entire lifespan. These areas tend to have a diverse wildlife habitat.' Clark said the majority of wildlife management areas in Connecticut are located along the shoreline in state-owned salt marshes, areas that are impossible for human recreation but are important for ecological diversity. In total, there are 109 wildlife management areas located throughout the state, Clark said. Many of them offer recreational opportunities like hunting, fishing and hiking. Wildlife management areas can range from just a few acres to several thousands of acres. The new wildlife management area in Killingly, just like many others found throughout the state, will offer a range of recreational opportunities, allowing the public to explore and appreciate the natural beauty of the area. The Killingly wildlife management area features forests, wetlands and four lakes ranging in size from seven to 41 acres offering a diverse landscape, she said. 'We evaluate properties as an agency on a rotating basis between our fisheries, forestry, wildlife, dam safety and parks and recreation departments. We all evaluate potential properties to see how they fit in and what niche they may have in terms of what would be best for the property. Some properties make sense as state parks or state forests. But the Killingly property made sense to be a WMA for its unique diversity.' In Connecticut, approximately 93.8% of land is privately owned, according to data. This means that a significant portion of the state's land is not owned by the government or other public entities. The amount of developed land in Connecticut has increased by approximately 20% over the last 30 years, while the state's population has only grown by approximately 11%, data shows. 'Because most of Connecticut's land is privately held, it's always huge for us to acquire new WMAs,' Clark said. 'The Killingly WMA is now one of the largest in the northeast corner of the state, most of the other WMAs are located along the shoreline or the western part of the state. This is because most of the northeast part of the state is still used for agriculture purposes.' Clark said that the state is aiming to open the Killingly wildlife management area at 520 Bailey Hill Road for recreational purposes sometime later this fall. She said the state is still assessing the property for any possible safety hazards that may impede recreational use. A map of Connecticut's wildlife management areas can be found on More information about the state's wildlife management areas can be found at Stephen Underwood can be reached at sunderwood@
Yahoo
14-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
The days of Connecticut's booming lobster industry are long gone. Here's what changed
Bart Mansi, owner of the Guilford Lobster Pound, has been catching lobsters in the Long Island Sound since he was a teenager in the 1970s, but the days of Connecticut's booming lobster industry are gone. Mansi, who now throws out a few lobster traps a year mostly for fun, remembers how lucrative the industry was that once afforded a livable and sustainable wage. But now, he said, the Connecticut lobster industry is no longer viable. Instead, his business trucks in lobsters from Maine and Canada, where the industry still thrives in the frigid waters of the North Atlantic. 'There were plenty of lobsters back in those days off the Connecticut coast. We were the third largest lobster industry in the Northeast and we were averaging millions of pounds of lobster per year. I want to say back in the day there were over 600 commercial licenses between New York and Connecticut in the Sound,' Mansi said. 'Those days are long gone.' The Guilford native opened his popular restaurant in 1991 at the height of the state's lobster industry. Back then, he would find traps stuffed with fully grown lobsters and bring them back to his restaurant to eat fresh on the water. In 1997, he had his ship the Erica Page built — a 42-foot custom lobster boat named after his daughter. He then continued hauling traps from the Sound, catching thousands of pounds of lobster each season. But in 1999, everything started to change, Mansi said. He was hauling in lobsters that appeared sickly and would die even before getting them to shore. Other lobsterman also began reporting dead lobsters in their traps. Soon, state officials began to descend on the Sound to conduct investigations, he said. 'They were dead in the pots, I had never seen anything like that,' Mansi said. 'We had a scientist come examine some of the tissue sample and we were told that the lobsters tested positive for methoprene. The chemical was used as a pesticide against mosquitos and got in the water. It was just a bunch of different things that were affecting the lobsters.' Lobster landings in Connecticut have fallen dramatically, from over 3.7 million pounds in 1998 to just over 111,000 pounds in 2019, according to state data. While there have been some slight increases in recent years, the overall population remains significantly lower than before the 1999 die-off. After Hurricane Floyd in 1999, storm runoff combined with pesticide spraying along the coast — aimed at controlling mosquitoes carrying West Nile virus — was believed to have contributed to a catastrophic lobster die-off. But in the 25 years since the 1999 die-off event, lobsters have not made any significant rebound in their population, according to Colleen Giannini, fisheries biologist with the Connecticut's Department of Energy and Environmental Protection. 'We saw an overturn in the water column due to Hurricane Floyd and that trapped really warm water on the bottom,' Giannini said. 'One of the big things we learned from that event is what the thermal tolerance for lobsters is. We were also continuously recording the temperature on the bottom for many years after. We found the thermal bottom temperature is just not suitable for high levels of lobster survival.' Climate change, which is warming the world's oceans, is also bringing warmer than average water into the Sound. In 2023, the annual average surface water temperature for the Sound was less than the average for the previous 30 years, while the annual average bottom water temperature for the Sound at 57.8 degrees Fahrenheit, was greater than the average for the previous 30 years at 54.9 degrees Fahrenheit, according to state data. Warm water typically holds less dissolved oxygen than cold water which can lead to water hypoxia, meaning lobsters have a harder time extracting oxygen through their gills, she said. This is now thought to be the primary factor for the sudden population decline over the last 25 years. 'This warming is having a negative impact on lobsters,' Giannini said. 'The stock of lobsters we have in Long Island Sound are part of a larger Southern New England stock. The last assessment we did in 2020 showed that the Southern New England stock was depleted. Overfishing isn't occurring so we're not removing them at a rate that would prohibit continued survival.' In 2021, lobster landings reached approximately 149,000 pounds, a decrease of approximately 7% from 2020 levels, and an approximately 11% decrease from the previous 10-year average, according to state data. Giannini said the lobsters that remain in the Sound fall victim to predation from several types of finfish like black sea and striped bass, which are both considered abundant. Other factors that prohibit their population growth include viruses and bacteria like shell disease, which has been found in Connecticut lobsters. These factors combined with warmer water temperatures continue to stunt the lobster's population growth, she said. As the situation became dire throughout the early 2000s, Mansi said he was forced to make some difficult decisions. In 2007, he expanded the Lobster Pound into a seasonal restaurant, serving hot, buttery lobster rolls and other dockside favorites throughout the summer months. 'There were lots and lots of sleepless nights,' Mansi said. 'Plenty of times I thought about what comes next. There was no way to survive between boat payments and dock fees and no income. A lot of people lost everything. Many of them sold their boats and did other things.' Many Connecticut lobsterman packed up their bags and headed north or completely left the industry altogether, he said. While lobstering still exists in the state, it's less than 5% of what it once was, as more than 95% off Connecticut's lobster's have disappeared, according to state data. For the few lobsterman that remain, most supplement lobster trapping with other types of fish and shellfish in order to make enough money to be viable. An average lobster takes around five to seven years to fully mature and be harvestable in Connecticut, according to DEEP. Nancy Balcom, associate director and extension program leader for Connecticut Sea Grant with the University of Connecticut, said that lobsters aren't making the recovery that researchers hoped for a decade ago. Overpredation, viruses and bacterial diseases and warming water have contributed to their decline, she said. Now researchers are contending with the reality that lobsters may never fully recover. 'It's kind of a triple whammy affecting lobsters,' Balcom said. 'A lot of different things have been tried over the years, but it just may be that Long Island Sound cannot support a large number of American lobsters anymore. Over time, you would think that if it was solely just a pesticide or virus, we would have seen a comeback in their numbers. That has just not been the case.' But despite the industry decline, Connecticut's shoreline lobster restaurants continue to thrive, as demand is greater than ever, Mansi said. 'People love our lobster rolls, we give them a good product, and we treat our customers like family,' Mansi said. 'That's what has kept up in business for over 30 years. I still go out on my boat sometimes. I'm just not catching lobsters anymore.' Stephen Underwood can be reached at sunderwood@
Yahoo
07-05-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Milford launches Mosquito Control Program
MILFORD, Conn. (WTNH) — The City of Milford has launched its annual Mosquito Control Program. City and state officials are reminding residents of the measures they can take to protect themselves from viruses that the insects carry. 'This is what keeps the community safe,' said Mayor Tony Giannattasio. 'We have a lot of open space in Milford.' The city's Director of Health, Deepa Joseph, says the insects can carry a number of viruses harmful to humans. 2024: Where West Nile virus & EEE have been detected in Connecticut 'Everything from West Nile Virus, Eastern Equine Encephalitis, Dengue, Zika Virus,' she said. It's why staff with the city and the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection will be undertaking their yearly effort to actively monitor and treat mosquito breeding sites in wet, marshy areas, as well as campgrounds and state parks. 'We send inspectors into primarily the salt marsh areas, looking for mosquito larvae in the water, and then we can apply a product that will kill mosquito larvae in the water before they emerge as adults,' said DEEP Mosquito Management Coordinator Roger Wolfe. Mosquitos will be trapped and tested for viruses daily at 108 locations across the state, providing early detection of potential outbreaks. DEEP says West Nile Virus has been in Connecticut since 1999. Since then, there have been hundreds of human cases and four deaths. When it comes to your protection, Joseph says to remember the four D's: Drain: Dump any standing water in your flower pots, buckets, used tires and bird baths, where mosquitoes lay eggs. Dress: Wear long sleeves, long pants, light-colored and loose clothing when outdoors Defend: Use EPA-registered insect repellents, such as DEET, Picaridin, or oil of lemon eucalyptus Dusk and Dawn: Limit time outside during early morning and evening hours when mosquitoes are most active Milford's Mosquito Control Program will run from May until October. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to
Yahoo
06-05-2025
- Yahoo
Dozens of CT hunting and fishing licenses were suspended in 2024. One extreme case stands out.
During the hunting and fishing season last year, approximately 62 Connecticut hunting and fishing licenses were suspended or revoked, according to documents from the state's Department of Energy and Environmental Protection. The vast majority of license suspensions issued are for anglers, since Connecticut issues significantly more fishing licenses than hunting licenses each year, according to James Fowler, spokesperson with DEEP. Most suspensions are for six months or just long enough to be excluded from the season. More serious violations last an entire year. In some cases, licenses can be revoked indefinitely depending on severity, primarily for serious hunting-related offenses or violations of certain laws. 'The state can issue a lifetime suspension for hunting or fishing licenses in the most serious cases — typically for repeat violations. For example, we issued a lifetime suspension last year to an individual repeatedly caught poaching striped bass,' Fowler said. Among the suspensions issued by DEEP's Environmental Conservation Police, approximately seven hunting licenses were suspended, with the rest being fishing licenses. Hunters make up a small number of outdoor enthusiasts in the state, with their numbers continuing to dwindle, according to data. Sales numbers continue to trend downward in almost all license categories including firearm, archery and combined hunting/fishing licenses. Last year, the state sold 9,224 resident firearm hunting licenses compared to 9,469 in 2023. Overall in 2024, the state's junior firearms hunting license also declined from previous years. In 2024, there were 468 junior firearms licenses purchased, down from 495 in 2023. CT hunting and fishing licenses sales decline. It impacts the economy and outdoor programs Non-resident license sales were among the few categories to see increases last year. In 2024, the state recorded 199 license sales for non-resident firearms hunting and inland fishing permits. That number is up from 2023, when there were 189 non-resident combined license sales. Sales of non-resident combined firearms hunting and all-waters permits, including marine fishing, also saw a slight increase. Though fishing licenses have fared better, they also have also seen a downward trend since the COVID-19 pandemic. Last year, the state recorded 188,896 fishing license sales, including inland fishing, marine fishing, non-resident and youth ages 16-17 licenses, for a total of $3.2 million in revenue. That number represents an increase over 2023 when 182,575 fishing licenses were sold raking in $3.1 million. Numbers have substantially declined since 2020, when the state sold 209,507 fishing licenses that generated approximately $4.1 million in revenue. According to DEEP documents, among the most common reason for fishing license suspensions included 12 issued for fishing in a reservoir. Other violations included illegal takes of short striped bass and being over creel limit or keeping over the amount legally allowed. Other suspensions cited anglers not having a trout/salmon stamp and fishing without a license. Hunting violations are considered potentially more serious. While the state does not maintain a public-facing historical database of suspensions over time, they do prepare a monthly suspension list, according to officials. Connecticut is a member of the Interstate Wildlife Violator Compact, which also suspends privileges for residents who are suspended or have unpaid fines in other member states. Most hunting violations incur a one-year suspension, according to data. 'We honor suspensions from other member states as well,' Fowler told the Courant. Among hunting license violations were illegal take of a turkey and another illegal take of an unidentified migratory bird last summer. Other violations included negligent hunting and hunting without a license. Negligent hunting is a criminal offense categorized into four degrees based on the severity of the negligence and resulting harm. A person can be charged with negligent hunting if they engage in any conduct that exhibits a high degree of carelessness, including acts that could cause serious injury or death to themselves or others. In a more extreme case, an 81-year-old hunter was deemed liable for negligence after accidentally shooting someone while out pheasant hunting in South Windsor in 2023. While the incident was deemed negligent and not intentional, the man had his hunting license privileges suspended for a year. All license suspensions in Connecticut are appealable, according to DEEP. When a suspension is issued, the license holder receives a notice with instructions on how to appeal the decision. Once someone is notified that their license is suspended they are required by law to immediately stop all fishing, hunting and trapping activity and surrender all their licenses within 10 business days to EnCon police. In addition, Fowler said the state requires completion of a remedial hunter education course for certain safety violations and for reinstatement of hunting privileges. Stephen Underwood can be reached at sunderwood@
