INTRODUCTION 



The lobster is the most valuable commercial species within Long 

 Island Sound (LIS), yielding 500,000 - 900,000 pounds annually with a 

 retail value in excess of 2 million dollars (Smith 1977; Connecticut DEP 

 Marine Fishery Statistics 1975-80, unpublished) . Monitoring of such a 

 commercially valuable species at power generating stations is essential; 

 by evaluating annual stock recruitment patterns and long-term cyclic 

 variations in abundance, we can discern power plant induced impacts from 

 naturally occurring fluctuations in the lobster population (Capuzzo and 

 Reynolds 1980) . 



Power plant induced stresses may affect survival of lobster larvae 

 and juveniles or alter the behavior of adults possibly resulting in a 

 decline in the inshore fishery. Potential effects on the lobster popula- 

 tion attributable to the operation of the Millstone Nuclear Power Station 

 (MNPS) are impingement of lobsters on the intake traveling screens, 

 entrainment of larvae through the cooling water systems, and thermal 

 effects by the discharge. 



CHRONOLOGY 



The collection of information on the abundance of lobsters in the 

 Millstone area began in February 1969, when a commercial lobsterman 

 turned in his catch information; the number of legal, short, and berried 

 lobsters was recorded (Table 1) . 



During the period 1970-73 lobster pot sampling was conducted in 

 February, May, July, September and December. Six wood pots were set for 

 a week around Fox Island (at the fringe of the plume) and six around 

 Seaside Point (an area far from the plant) as controls; in May 1973 the 

 Bartlett's Reef station was added. These pots were checked daily, 



