Eyes on the estuary: Soundkeeper says protecting Long Island Sound requires residents to stay vigilant

Simply put, Long Island Sound used to be pretty gross.

About two decades ago, a group of frustrated fishermen formed the Waterkeeper Alliance and mapped out the region’s pollution. The areas in black mark the spots with zero oxygen.

Bill Lucey with the nonprofit Save the Sound is Long Island Soundkeeper.

“Anybody fishing in those areas for lobster or menhaden was seeing lots of dead animals," he said. "This was because of all the semi or unregulated sewage, violations of the Clean Water Act that were really polluting Long Island Sound."

Save the Sound

As an estuary — where freshwater from rivers meets saltwater from the ocean — Long Island Sound is a biodiversity hotspot. More than 1,200 species call the Sound home, from shellfish to shorebirds.

While there is still work to be done