His lobster catch has declined 70 percent in the last year, Mr. Whidden said, since the Environmental Protection Administration opened the new dump site.

Fish landings in 2000 were 1,481 tons; the lobster catch, 42 tons.

Fishery production earned a B. Fish and lobster catches bring about $20 million annually to communities on the Sound.

The town is located in the heart of the world's largest lobster fishing grounds and has Canada's highest lobster catch.

In 1983, after a series of clashes over limits on the local lobster catch, explosions put two vessels being used by Federal fisheries inspectors on the harbor floor.

When Burnt Church fishermen continued their lobster catch, the Federal Government said fisheries officers would continue to seize traps and make arrests.

In the central and eastern sections of the Sound, the lobster catch is still down as much as 60 percent, compared with 1998.

Last year, the lobster catch was less than one-tenth of its peak of 8.2 million pounds in 1997.

The lobster catch in Long Island Sound has declined about 70 percent since 1998, and even more in the western end of the sound.

Maine, which hauls about half of the nation's lobster catch, is not alone in its worries about the industry's future.