Long Island Sound: 1320 square miles of saltwater and sun; beaches, ports, and marshes; sailboats, tankers, and lobster pots.

Changing shipping lanes into Boston to reduce collisions with Right Whales is a classic example of effective Marine Spatial Planning (Map: NOAA)

How do we reconcile all the ways the Sound is used and enjoyed? How do we honor our traditional maritime economy while looking forward to the future? How do we protect our fragile habitats from development and industrial projects such as Broadwater?

Senate Bill 312 would would establish the Blue Plan Advisory Committee of state agencies and representative of the environment, marine industries, businesses, municipal leadership, and other stakeholders.

The committee would conduct an inventory of the Sound's resources, and where and how they're used and enjoyed. The "Blue Plan" is designed to protect traditional uses, plan for future uses, and prevent potential conflicts. Learn more on our blog.

This bill is before the state Environment Committee this Friday and we need your help supporting it. Join us at the hearing, or submit written comments!

Environment Committee Public Hearing

1:00 pm on Friday, March 7

Room 1D, Legislative Office Building

300 Capitol Ave., Hartford

This Friday, the Environment Committee will unfortunately also consider a bill that would damage fisheries in Connecticut's rivers and on Long Island Sound.

HB 5417 directs DEEP to establish a fishing season for glass eels-the tiny juvenile American eels that mature in Connecticut's rivers before returning to the ocean to spawn. There's one problem: taking these eels is prohibited by the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission and the EPA is currently considering listing American eels as an endangered species. Connecticut should not jump the gun by establishing a season for them before the EPA and the commission have made their decisions.

You can tell the Environment Committee to reject HB 5417 using the same model testimony as described above for SB 312.