Connecticut Lobsters Rebound

The program is called "v notching" (See Photo) and lobster fisherman have been working with local aquaculture schools and programs aimed at helping the lobster population in the Long Island Sound recover.

The female lobsters are the egg bearers, by keeping more females out in their habitat the expected result was that more new lobsters would be born. Just as the program was intended, the notch of which does not hurt the lobster in any way, was able to accurately boost the population to safe and sustainable levels.

Aquaculture Students trap lobsters, identify the females and put a V shaped notch on their tail. When fisherman see these marked lobsters they throw them back to comply with the law. The program, now touted as a success by industry scholars and fishermen, has helped the lobster population recover from its troubling decline as early as 10 years ago.

Had this program not been effective, more restrictions and laws could have been imposed. These laws would have required fisherman to throw back more smaller lobsters and only allowed for the fishing of larger ones. These sizes are determined by a measuring device that measures across the backs of the fish.

This program is a fine example that we can use our will and determination to preserve species of animals in the sound. This effort was only achieved by strong cohesion and teamwork between environmental agencies, students, teachers and the lobster fishermen themselves. Milford retains a state and Federal research laboratory operated by NOAA located on the inlet of Milford Harbor.

Alcohol Testing For Students?! "Brilliant" or "Batty"

Kids appear to have changed very little since the day I was young, just like today there are good ones, bad ones and those you wonder about. For the most part underage drinking did go on then as it does today. This is just part of the youth culture and common everyday peer pressure.

Now here is the off the wall idea that Harvey Polanski has... imposing a Breathalyzer test at school functions. Although this idea has not yet been approved, Polanski intends to ask the school board to approve it. Adults working at school events will be the ones required to administer these tests to students.

When I personally asked students how they felt about this idea, many outright laughed and those that did not felt it was a violation of their privacy. One student called it extreme and characteristic of a "police state" mentality.

Should Polanski succeed in getting this mandatory test approved, students indicated that he better start patting down students as well. One student, who does not want his name mentioned, indicated that if he chooses to get drunk at prom night he will just show up sober, and drink inside the event after he is tested.

Knowing the will and resolve of kids, I can agree that this will agitate a "cat and mouse" game with authorities. This program will also cost the taxpayers money that is in short supply. Adults will need training, and police will be involved in prosecuting kids at school events who may have tested positive for alcohol, when in reality they could be under the influence of an alcohol based medication like cough syrup.

Hopefully this terrible idea will not pass as it sends a clear and compelling message to our town kids that they must all lose their liberty and trust because of a few kids with an alcohol problem. School staff, and teachers for the most part already know what kids pose the greatest risks of drug abuse and alcoholism without a needed test. It is not hard to recognize a drunken youth, faculty senses do not need to be replaced with costly digital machines.

This news is also preceded by automakers exploring the introduction of the Alcokey system. This system will require that the driver blow into a tube, passing this sobriety test will result in the reward of your car starting. Some fear that onstar will also get in on this "nanny state" technology and actually call the police if the Alcokey system fails the driver.

Heat Wave Bakes Milford

Today and yesterday were bad days to try and discredit global warming. The temperature here in town soared to a record 98 Degrees and our towns kids were dripping in sweat as they sat in classrooms without air conditioning.

Our staff contacted the school superintendent and expressed concern over the extreme heat, especially after several schools either let their students out early or just took the day off all together.

Milford's Superintendent, Polanski said he spent a good part of his day walking around asking teachers and students how they were coping with the extreme heat. He gave an encouraging report, indicating that the kids and teachers were doing well.

This, however was not what some of the local kids said to me at the bus stop this morning. The consensus was that only two classrooms they were aware of had air conditioning, and they said that during their final exams they found the heat a to be a major distraction to their testing.

When I mentioned that I called their Superintendent to express their concern, one student sarcastically replied, "easy for him to say that, his office is one of the few that has air conditioning."

Parents expressed concern over the fact that the schools were even open at all during this excessively hot day, some did not understand why the school could not afford air conditioning in such extreme weather; at the very least it should be turned on in the event of an emergency.

The high cost of energy, combined with crippling property tax increases, declining ED funding and forced cutbacks to save our teachers jobs, in my opinion is what has led to this bad situation. Some time ago I wrote a blog stating that just this would happen if the city and state did not initiate a conservation program, and begin to install solar panels and budget friendly technologies in our city buildings.

A energy conservation expert at TriCity said that if the city abandoned its current technology in favor of geothermal heat pumps alone, this would cut the cities energy consumption by nearly 1/3 shortly after it get turned on. The problem is not recognizing the merit of this technology, it is getting the city to come up with money to begin installing it. If they do not do it now, then over the next decade they will have paid for it just through the current inefficient system.