Dead Lobster
I spent some time in the Florida Keys last week-- which was near the beginning of the area's lobster season. But, from our boat, lobsters were few and far between. We did see a few pieces of floating trash here and there, though, and now scientists suggest that the Keys lobsters' northeast cousins may be suffering due to long term effects of trash in the ocean. Researcher Hans Laufer has produced evidence suggesting that concentrations of alkyphenols--formed when hard plastics break down-- might cause weaknesses in lobsters' shell producing abilities. The problem comes when the lobsters shed one shell and their skin begins to harden, forming the next shell. Laufer suggests that because these alkyphenols closely resemble the amino acid tyrosine, which is used in shell hardening, the plastic derivative may block the usual tyrosine-assisted hardening process. This weakened shell leaves the lobster susceptible to infections and diseases that have drastically affected northeast lobster populations in recent years.
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