The results of a year-long study about the health of the Long Island Sound were released on Monday.
TheIntegration and Application Network at the University of Maryland conducted the study. The “Long Island Sound Ecosystem Health Report Card” was initially funded by the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation's Long Island Sound Futures Fund in January 2014.
The "Report Card" was compiled by University of Maryland researchers and were presented Monday morning. Researchers reviewed water quality in the Sound, Norwalk Harbor, and New York's Inner Hempstead Harbor, as well as other factors that define ecosystem health.
The Sound's basin includes 921,000 protected acres providing recreational activities for more than nine million people in surrounding communities. The commercial fishing industry generated more than 800 Connecticut jobs in 2010, generating an economic output of more than $65 million.
Federal and state officials and others will present the report Monday at Sherwood Island State Park's Nature Center in Westport, Connecticut. In past years, the University of Marylandhas compiled report cards on the Great Barrier Reef, the Mississippi River, and other iconic locations.
This report includes information from The Associated Press.