Commercial fishing in the immediate area is limited to menhaden 

 ( Brevoortia tyrannus ) and lobsters. LIS as a whole supports commercial 

 fisheries for blueflsh, butterfish, blackback (winter flounder), fluke, 

 menhaden, porgy and striped bass, with smaller catches of mackerel, 

 sea bass, weakfish and several other species. Annual landings in 

 LIS from 195A-1969 are listed in Table 63 (U. S. Fish and Wildlife 

 Service, 1954-69). 



The shallow waters support a lush epifauna and a heavy growth of 

 sea lettuce. These observations, along with the previously-noted 

 abundance of phyto- and zooplankton and larger fish and crustaceans, 

 point up the productive, nutrient-rich condition of the western LIS. 



The area should be considered somewhat polluted. Coliform bacteria 

 densities and BOD were not measured in our study; however, a survey of 

 available data revealed portions of western LIS to be of unacceptable 

 water quality in regard to these parameters. The Environmental 

 Protection Agency (1971) found "Evidence of severe bacterial pollution, 

 in violation of the water quality standards. .. in the East River, off 

 Stepping Stones, off Hewlett Point, Eastchester Bay, .. .Little Neck Bay, 

 Manhasset Bay " (Tables 64-65). EPA feels that "discharge of inadequately 

 treated municipal and industrial wastes with their high concentrations 

 of biochemical oxygen demand has resulted in seriously low levels of 

 dissolved oxygen in violation of the Federal-State standards " in all 

 but the last two of the above named locations (Fig. 24 shows sampling 

 locations for all coliform surveys cited). 



19 



