Long Island Sound

Long Island Sound is a very large estuary bordering Connecticut, New York, and Rhode Island. It is very long. It is very important to wildlife and commercial business. Most of the largest cities are on the or near the Long Island Sound. Its average depth is 35-60' deep.

The Long Island sound is a very large diverse section of the Atlantic Ocean. Many species depend on the sound as shelter and breeding grounds. The most common animals are fish and crabs. Our top crabs are Green Crab, Atlantic Rock Crab, Blue Crab, Spider Crab, and Pacific Grapsid Shore Crabs. We have 1 lobster species, The common American Lobster. American Lobster, however is not very common anymore due to warming waters, pollution, and overfishing. Common fish are the Porgy, Bass, Fluke, Flounder, Skates, and some Dogfish Sharks. Sharks include Dogfish Sharks, Blue Sharks, Sand Tiger Sharks, and Sometimes Great Whites, Thresher Sharks, and Smooth Hammerheads. Whales have been reported a few times coming into the sound in 2015. Lionfish make there debut appearance in 2015. Rarely, an Alligator will come as far north as Coastal CT. In summer, The LIS may see some tropical fish, like Triggerfish, Lionfish, Butterflyfish, Moonfish, and Grouper. Jellyfish Booms are very common in June-August, when the sound is warm.

"All drains lead to the Ocean" is true. So is it preferred not to use fertilizer, pesticides, and herbicides, as they can seep through the ground in a storm, and be carried to groundwater or the sound. This can be harmful to the wildlife that live here. Every year, the children of CT create Save the Sound posters, as a part of the awareness of the LIS's importance. LIS is CT's most important wildlife asset.