Melissa Hoffman, September 2017

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On Ocean Road in Narragansett, the scenic road bordering the town beach, numerous signs boast “hot lobster rolls” or “fresh lobster dinner.” What these signs don’t tell you is that roughly 1 in 3 lobsters in Narragansett Bay are infected with Epizootic Shell Disease. Lobsters in southern New England are deteriorating due to a puzzling disease with no clear cause and no cure. 

 

Epizootic Shell Disease does not physically harm humans but infects lobsters by forming ugly lesions on their shell. Severe cases of the disease can result in death and declines in the population. While lobster catches have hit an all time high in Maine, Rhode Island landings are 60% lower than what they were in the early 1990's - before disease outbreaks started occurring. 

 

While it is unclear exactly what intensifies disease outbreaks, environmental stressors, such as temperature and pollutants, are likely contributing.

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Epizootic Shell Disease outbreaks are expanding to the half a billion dollar Maine lobster industry, changing the lobstering landscape both economically and culturally in New England.

 

Rarely do we hear about the increasing occurrence of disease outbreaks in the ocean. In fact, Epizootic Shell Disease is just one example among many. Many marine disease outbreaks have been linked to climate change, but disease outbreaks are notoriously difficult to study. There are gaps in our knowledge about diseases in the ocean that leave few answers and few solutions.

 

Despite the increasing economic threat of such outbreaks, federal and state funding for research initiatives in the biological and life sciences have stagnated. Preventing and remedying outbreaks like Epizootic Shell Disease require more attention from government officials. Without more money, some of America’s iconic marine animals will diminish.

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